Help Needed
by animemetalhead
Summary: The daughter of Sakura Haruno and Hinata Hyuga is facing troubles of her own, like a vampire that murders her parents. Check out the sequel in the omakes of kyouger's Like Mother, Like Daughter!
1. Next Generation

A/N: This is the sequel to my first fic, Help Wanted. In case you haven't read that, this follows the daughter of Sakura Haruno and Hinata Hyuga. Thanks to kyouger and C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only for reviewing my last one and keeping me writing! Yay!

**Help Needed**

Kiora slammed the door in her ex-girlfriends face and returned to the kitchen. Hinata had made pancakes and sausages (Nya-ha-ha!) and Kiora always looked forward to them.

"Who was at the door?" Sakura asked.

"Natsuko," Kiora replied with as much contempt as she could squeeze into the word. "Fucking whore."

"WHOA!" Hinata said from the stove. "I don't care _what_ she did to you, you are not gonna use that kind of language in my home! Whore is okay, but don't swear in front of us."

"Agreed," Sakura said. In an undertone she added, "I really don't care, but humor your mother."

Kiora finished her breakfast in silence and grabbed her school bag. She opened the front door. Natsuko Yamanaka was on the front step, her face in her hands, tears pouring from in between her fingers. She looked up as Kiora passed.

"Wait!" She shouted, running to catch up. "Please, let me explain."

"Explain what?!" Kiora said, spinning around. She held a kunai in her right hand. "I saw you. I don't fucking need you to explain a damn thing." She spun on her heel and continued walking.

"He's been blackmailing my mother," Natsuko said. Kiora stopped. "He's been forcing her to let him have his way with me."

Kiora slid her kunai into her back pocket. "Prove it."

"I can't," she said. "You just have to trust me."

"Fine," Kiora said. "Say I believe you. Now what. I still have to live with the fact that my girlfriend is being fucked by some thirty year old guy."

"I ran away from home," Natsuko said. "He can't touch me if he can't find me."

Kiora's resolve broke. She ran to Natsuko, threw her arms around her, and was sobbing into her shoulder. "I am so s-sorry," she said.

"Why?" Natsuko asked. "It's not your fault."

Kiora clubbed her on the head. "Idiot! You're supposed to tell me it's okay, and pat me on the back!"

"Well, I won't," Natsuko said. She squeezed Kiora, then motioned to the gate. Apparently, they had made it to school.

Kiora slid into her seat in History class. She sank into her usual stupor, as listening about old ninja wars was not the way she wanted to learn about them. She wished Natsuko was here, so the boredom would be less. The door slid open to the classroom, and Iruka looked up from his lecture.

"Class," he said. "We have three new students today. Please welcome Melody and Serenity Uchiha, and Natsuko Yamanaka."

Kiora could have died with excitement. Natsuko took the empty seat next to her, and the Uchiha twins sat in front of them. The one with short hair turned back and introduced herself as Melody.

"You must be Kiora," she said. "Natsuko's told us so much about you. Us four should get together some time."

Kiora raised an eyebrow. "You and your sister are like us?" she asked.

Serenity turned, her long black hair rippling slightly. Kiora's mind did its usual quick run-through of things she'd like to do to this girl.

"Let me prove it to you," she said, and she pulled Melody in. The sisters kissed, for what seemed like it could have been a half-hour. They stopped when Serenity grabbed Melody's hand, to keep her from pulling off her clothes in class.

"Oh, we definitely have to get together," Kiora conceded. "How about tonight?"

The twins grinned evilly, nodded their agreement, and turned back to face the teacher, still reading his notes, but slightly red in the face. Kiora couldn't help but laugh at the thought of old Iruka-sensei seeing what he had.

"What's so funny, Haruno?" he demanded.

"Oh, nothing," Kiora said. She forced herself to stop laughing, and turned her attention to Natsuko.

A note slid onto her lap. Kiora flipped it open under the desk.

_Hey sexy, you know what we should do to make this class more fun?_

_Heh heh, what do you have in mind, _Kiora scribbled in response.

Natsuko crumpled the note, tossed it into her backpack, and slid her hand up Kiora's thigh. Kiora did the same to Natsuko, and tugged at the hem of her skirt. Natsuko silently thanked the fact that they were in the very back, with no one to either side of them. She pulled her skirt up with one hand, while Kiora slid her shorts down to her knees. They slid their fingers into each other's panties, and fingered each other until the bell rang.

A/N: Ok, crappy, I know, but I liked it! Nya-haan!! Please read and review, and I promise the lemons will get better!


	2. Accidents Happen

A/N: OK, this entire chapter is basically one long lemon, between the four girls. I figure it's a good way to practice writing them!

**Help Needed**

"Oh my god," Kiora said. "I can't believe we did that all class! I can't wait for tonight! How did you manage to get into my class anyways?"

"Okay, one thing at a time," Natsuko said. "Hang on here, we'll meet Melody and Serenity." She slumped up against the wall. Kiora had practiced the jutsus she had learned from Sakura, using chakra to stimulate muscles and body parts. Natsuko had managed to get Kiora off twice. Kiora had scored four times that.

"I might have to learn some of those techniques," Natsuko commented. "I haven't been this exhausted in my life. Anyways, I quit being a ninja. I've decided I want to be here, closer to you."

"Aww," said a voice. Melody and Serenity came around the corner. "Isn't it sweet, sis?"

Serenity giggled and stretched. "So, where are we going?"

"We can't go to my house," Natsuko said. "I don't have one to go to."

"What about your house?" Kiora asked Melody.

"Um, well, our dad's on a mission, and he won't be back for a week, but we're not supposed to have people over," she replied.

"He doesn't even know we're lesbians," Serenity added.

"Well, it's just us four," Natsuko said. "We should be able to not make a mess."

"Alright, let's go," Melody said. "I actually think this could work!"

The four set off for the Uchiha residence. They reached the third floor of the apartment building and headed for room 318. Melody unlocked the door and let them inside. As soon as the door had snapped shut and the lock had clicked, Kiora pounced, pinning Natsuko to the floor with her knees while she pulled off her hoodie and tee shirt. She leaned forward and planted her lips on Natsuko's. She felt a pair of hands on her hips, and looked back to see Melody, completely nude and pulling Kiora's shorts off. Serenity was behind Melody, her tongue deep inside her sister.

Kiora turned her attention to her girlfriend, letting her up so she could pull off her own clothes. Natsuko managed to strip herself in all of about nine seconds. Kiora was pulled in for another kiss just as Melody's tongue worked its way into her ass. She gave an involuntary shudder, then became incredibly turned on by this new idea. She flipped Natsuko onto her stomach and placed the tip of her index finger over her asshole. She let loose some chakra, and Natsuko moaned in ecstasy.

"God, Kiora that feels so good," she said. Kiora responded by sliding two fingers into the girls ass, and and simultaneously licked her clit. Natsuko gave a yelp and gripped the carpet.

Melody, meanwhile, was still licking the inside of Kiora's ass. Kiora stopped licking Natsuko long enough to catch her breath, and felt the beginnings of an orgasm coming on. Melody seemed to notice, and she responded by pressing her fingers deep inside Kiora's pussy to her g-spot. Kiora came, coating Melody's fingers with sticky fluid. Melody licked herself clean and let Kiora recover from her orgasm. She motioned to Natsuko and immediately buried her tongue in her pussy.

Kiora shook her head to clear it, and headed for Serenity, who was still alternating between licking and fingering her sister. Kiora tapped her on the shoulder and pulled her into a kiss, shoving her tongue into the long-haired girl's mouth. Serenity replied in kind, and began exploring Kiora's massive breasts with her hands. Kiora moaned into the kiss, and started caressing Serenity's hips and ass. Serenity broke off and moved her mouth from Kiora's lips to her nipples, alternating between each. Kiora pulled the pair of them down to the floor, somehow managing to land with her face in Serenity's pussy, and Serenity between her own legs. Kiora immediately slid her fingers in to rub the girl's g-spot, and licked over her clit. Serenity gasped and jerked. Kiora's fingers, still deep inside, were twisted painfully as Serenity lost her balance and rolled off of her. She pulled her hand out tentatively and inspected her fingers. She couldn't move her ring finger, and suspected it was broken. She touched it lightly with her other hand and a wave of agony shot up her arm.

"Omigod I am so sorry!" Serenity was saying. Kiora tried to make a sympathetic face, but only managed a pained grimace. She winced again as her fingers twinged painfully. Serenity helped her into her clothes, and Kiora staggered out the door, heading for her home.

-----

"WHERE IS SHE?!" he shouted. He slammed her against the wall.

"I-I don't know," Ino said. "She ran away after you left last night."

"DAMN!!" Uzumaki Naruto shouted. He turned and stormed away. Ino heard the front door slam, and breathed a sigh of relief.

-----

Kiora made it inside her front door before she collapsed.

"Oh no!" Hinata said, running to her daughter's side. "What's wrong?"

"My finger, I think I broke it," Kiora said. Hinata flipped through the hand signs for the Byakugan and inspected.

"Yeah," Hinata said. "It's broken. How did it happen?"

Kiora thought quickly. "I slammed it in a door."

Hinata frowned. "Kiora, I am your mother, I know you better than that," she said. "There is no indication that your finger was crushed. The fracture is spiral, so you twisted your finger, probably with the amount of force, of, maybe, a falling person?"

_She knows, _Kiora thought. "Regardless, I can't go around with a broken finger can I?"

"You could," Hinata said. "But I'll fetch your mother."

Sakura managed to heal Kiora's finger in all of about five minutes. Kiora trudged upstairs to do her homework, and Sakura turned to Hinata.

"How'd she do it?" Sakura asked.

"Didn't you recognize the smell on her finger?" Hinata replied. "She's growing up fast."

Sakura couldn't help but agree with the fact that their little girl wasn't so little anymore.

A/N: Wow. This one was really long by my standards. I didn't realize I had typed so much. Well, read and review, and the next chapter will be up when I have more ideas.


	3. Animal Inside

A/N: Okay. I really have no idea what's going to happen in this chapter. I'm just going to type and see what happens. Please don't kill me. Oh, and I don't own Naruto. That one bastard whose name I can't remember does. Damn him.

**Help Needed**

Kiora Haruno woke with a start. She guessed she had fallen asleep doing her homework, as she was still seated at her desk. The knock at her door sounded again.

"Kiora?" Hinata asked, slowly opening the door.

Kiora yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah?"

"How's your hand?" Hinata asked. Kiora knew that couldn't be the only reason her mother had come upstairs, but she would deal with the real issue when it surfaced.

"Fine," Kiora said. "I haven't ever had any problems with anything mom has healed."

"Right," Hinata said. Kiora thought she seemed nervous, but Hinata was usually nervous about something anyways, so this did not strike her as odd. "Um, as you probably guessed, I know how you broke your finger. Well, not exactly, and I really don't need the details. The point is, I know you're not a child anymore. You're very quickly becoming a woman, and we, that is, your mother and I, feel you should at least be prepared for the real world."

"Okay," Kiora said slowly. "What exactly is it I have to do?"

"You're coming with us this weekend." Hinata said. She sounded very professional now. "We're going on a D-rank mission, and it's the perfect opportunity to train you up a bit."

"Wait," Kiora said. "You're dragging me away for the weekend because I had an enjoyable evening with my friends?"

"Now, don't think of it like that," Hinata said.

"But that's what it is isn't it?" Kiora asked, suddenly filled with pent up aggression. She rose to her feet. "It's because I did something that was different from what you wanted. I wasn't conforming to your standards. Who cares if I have a lesbian four way with a group of girls?" Kiora realized what she had said and blushed. She turned away from her mother and grabbed her bag, still packed from the other night. Regaining her composure, she turned to find that Sakura had joined them. "Great. Now what have I done wrong?" she asked.

Hinata started to answer, but Sakura cut her short. "You haven't done anything wrong, yet. We just wanted to take you with us to teach you some basic skills."

Kiora had had enough. She turned and leapt onto the windowsill, and continued out into the night. She resolved to find Natsuko and explain what had happened, then she'd wing it from there.

-----

Uzumaki Naruto had never been more furious in his life. His one free ticket was gone. All he had to do was hold the threat over her mother, and he would be able to have his way with the younger. Sometimes being a pedophile was too much work.

He flitted from rooftop to rooftop, searching for the Yamanaka's missing daughter. Partly because doing so would return him to her favor and make it easier to get what he wanted, but also because he had no other real sources of desirable young girls.

He looked up from the alleyway below him, and noticed another form racing along the rooftops. His thoughts perked as he realized who it was. The highly desireable daughter of Hinata Hyuga and Sakura Haruno. He knew he could have manipulated Hinata into letting him at the girl, but he had also spent far too long on Sakura's team to think she would be intimidated by him.

Then Kiora switched directions. Naruto, not paying attention, didn't see the kunai she threw until it flashed across his vision, directly in front of him. He turned to see her wielding another kunai and her Byakugan in full effect.

Kiora cursed herself for missing. She probably shouldn't have left her mothers, and really could use the training they had offered her. But the sight of Naruto, so soon after her encounter with Natsuko, brought up a rage Kiora hadn't felt before. She flitted through the few hand signs she knew, activating the fireball jutsu. She blew the flame at Naruto, who ducked under the attack and came up, his Rasengan ready. Kiora dropped to the roof and jumped, behind him and turned. He charged straight through the remainder of the flames, his pupils turning to slits, and the whisker marks on his face growing darker.

"Shit," she said. She turned and began a full force run back to her house. She could see her open window in the distance. She felt that bubbling rage inside her, and decided to stand and fight. For some odd reason, she felt power inside she hadn't before. She turned to face Naruto, now in full Kyuubi mode. He was beyond using ninjutsu or genjutsu, and came at her using only taijutsu. He was insanely fast, yet Kiora could still track his movements, and managed to block all his strikes. For some strange reason, Kiora didn't feel she was exerting force at all. She blocked one strike, forced both his arms wide, and brought her knee into his groin. He flew up and away from her, and she escaped through her window, back into the company of her parents.

"What's inside me?" she asked as soon as she was inside.

A/N: Ok, I had a brilliant idea. I won't tell you what it is, but it should manifest itself in a chapter or three.


	4. Disposable Heroes

A/N: Whee!! Combat scenes are fun! And I'm a lot better at writing them than I am at lemons. So get ready. You think you're ready. You're not ready. Here comes Chapter Four!

**Help Wanted**

"What the hell is inside me," Kiora restated, still furious from her encounter with Naruto.

Hinata sighed. "Sit down," she said, indicating the spot next to her on the bed. Kiora pointedly sat in the chair across the room. (Not really a great distance, but the gesture was important.)

"Kiora, what you have just experienced is the same gene that gives us our Byakugan," Hinata explained. "Every seven generations, one member of the Hyuga clan gains the abilities and skills of our patriarch. Initially, everyone thought Neji was the sure pick, but we merely lost count of the generations. You, Kiora are the embodiment of the patriarch. Your abilities could end up surpassing that of even the Hokage. No wonder you were able to stop everything Naruto threw at you. The Kyuubi is no match for the patriarch gene."

"So this is why you wanted me to go with you," Kiora said. "To try and get me to control it or something?"

"Please," Hinata said. "This isn't some demon you have waiting to burst forth. This is genetic, fully within your control. Our only fear was you would use it in an unsafe manner. We were planning on revealing it to you this weekend, as it manifests itself once you are acknowledged as being an adult."

"So when you said I was 'quickly becoming a woman,' you were really activating my abilities?" Kiora asked. She now felt much less angry than she had at all that night.

Hinata's response was cut short by the doorbell. "I'll get it," she said, and left Kiora to her thoughts.

Kiora focused her thoughts on hand signs. If she was as great as they said she was, how come she couldn't put more than two signs together to make a jutsu?

Kiora was brought back to reality as Natsuko burst into her room.

"Your parents said I could stay!" she exclaimed. "I explained what happened and they offered my mom and me protection!"

Kiora hugged her girlfriend closely, and ran to the open door. "When's dinner?" she shouted down the stairs.

"It was done an hour ago!" Sakura called back up. "Get down here and eat!" Kiora glanced at Natsuko, who shrugged, and the pair went down to the kitchen.

Hinata had made her second specialty, besides pancakes. For some reason, her stroganoff was the best of anybody in her family.

"Oh boy," Kiora said as she reached the table. "Strokin' off."

Natsuko burst out laughing, and Hinata threw Kiora the look. (You know the look. It's the one your parents give you when you say something funny and they don't want to admit it.)

Sakura entered the kitchen, repeated Kiora's phrase, and also received the look. Sakura, however, could get Hinata to give where none had succeeded. Within two minutes, the entire group was laughing around the table.

"So where's your mother, Natsuko?" Hinata asked. Natsuko shrugged.

"I dunno," she said. "I kinda figured she'd be here by now."

Kiora realized something important that she had forgotten. When she had kicked Naruto, sending him flying, it happened to be in the direction of the Yamanaka home. She bolted out of her seat.

"What's wrong honey?" Sakura asked.

"I think I know what happened to Ino," Kiora said, speeding out of the kitchen. Natsuko followed her, and the pair exited into the night.

-----

Ino frantically shut the door to her room and locked it. She heard Naruto's pounding on the other side, and realized it wouldn't hold him for long. Something had enraged him beyond control, and he was on a rampage.

Ino slid the window open and leapt as Naruto leveled his head and barreled through the wooden door. She forced herself to look ahead and fight the fear. She was barely conscious of her actions, feeling it was more like she was riding along and someone else was controlling her movements. She didn't even notice when Kiora and Natsuko flashed by her the other way.

Kiora focused her thoughts, and felt the familiar rage and power building inside her. She flipped through several hand signs, activating her Byakugan. She felt a tugging in her mind, and let herself go to that almost instinctual fighter, recognizing it to be the patriarch gene. She flipped through a triplet of hand signs, and felt the chakra pool in her palm. It turned into the pure lightning of the Chidori, a technique that supposedly only Sasuke Uchiha had mastered.

Kiora lunged at Naruto, who raised his arms pitifully to block. The Chidori sliced right through his forearms, and his breastbone. Kiora yanked, and Naruto witnessed the dying beats of his own heart.

Kiora watched Naruto fall to the ground, his heart still twitching in her hand. She tossed it after him, and regarded herself. She had blood up her entire arm, across her chest, and splattered over her face. She took one look at Natsuko, who rocked back a step, and turned to leave.

"Natsuko, wait!" Kiora called after her. "Ino, are you-"

Ino leapt after her daughter, without a second look at Kiora.

"-okay?"

A/N: Wow. See. You weren't ready. I said so. This chapter was kind of crazy. It wasn't even planned for Naruto to die, but it just sort of happened that way. Anyways, read and review, and I promise the cuteness will be back. I hope.


	5. Problems Arise

A/N: Well, Naruto's dead. Thanks to my few dedicated readers for still reading after this incident.

kyouger: My dad came up with the "strokin' off" joke at dinner the night before I wrote that. And I'm glad you get it now.

C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: Naruto's dead. That's what happened. Not much of a loss, really.

Allow me to continue to shock and amaze you all with chapter five of Help Needed!

P.S. I don't own Naruto. Yet…

**Help Needed**

Kiora stood in her shower, not really scrubbing herself, but wasting away in the hot water. She still felt the blood on her face and arm, though it had long washed away. But the smell, and the sensation, remained. She still felt the pulses of Naruto's heart in the palm of her hand. The memories assaulted her, not just Naruto's death, but the subsequent fear in Natsuko's and Ino's eyes.

Kiora finally turned off the water and stepped out into the steamy bathroom. She wiped a hand across the mirror to get a better view of her face. Her gray Hyuga eyes stared back at her, same as they always had. She wiped a stray strand of hair off her forehead, and reached for her towel. She dried off, and headed out of the bathroom, crossing the hall to her own room.

Natsuko sat on her bed, thumbing through a photo album. She stopped on the picture of herself and Kiora, on their first "date," during which Kiora had spent the entire time mocking passerby for Natsuko's amusement.

She looked up as Kiora entered. Kiora dropped her towel where she stood, and walked toward the dresser. Natsuko grumbled, rolled over on the bed so she faced away from her, and feigned sleep.

Kiora dressed in her pajamas, and headed downstairs for the couch. She had intended to sleep in her own bed, with Natsuko, but tonight's events had driven a wedge between them. Natsuko was probably scared Kiora had a demon of some sort that would awaken and murder her in her bed. Kiora flopped angrily onto the couch, her aggression rising again. When sleep finally overcame her, it was short and restless.

-----

Natsuko crept silently along the floor, headed for the very couch Kiora was sleeping on. She decided on a very good way to apologize for her cold attitude the night before, and was preparing to enact it. She stood over Kiora, and then dropped on top of her, reaching into every ticklish area she could find. Kiora woke with a start, then was laughing from the onslaught. She kicked and squirmed, but Natsuko held fast. Finally, when Kiora's squeals turned to shouts of "I'm gonna piss myself!" Natsuko let her up.

"Your parents left a while ago, they went on their mission," Natsuko said.

Kiora nodded, still breathing heavily from the way she was awakened. She remembered the conversation of last night, when her parents agreed that Kiora didn't really need to train to get any stronger. Now Kiora and Natsuko had the house to themselves for the weekend.

Natsuko stretched, and Kiora pounced. She began to repay the girl for waking her up when Ino walked down the stairs. She was half-asleep, and half-dressed.

"Mom!" Natsuko shouted. Ino looked up to her daughter, then down to herself.

"Shit," she muttered, and turned back up the stairs.

"Oookay," Kiora said. "That was odd."

"No, that's just my mom," Natsuko replied. Kiora stood, straightened her pajamas, and headed for the kitchen. Natsuko followed, asking what was available for breakfast. Kiora handed her a box of cereal.

"Milk's in the fridge," she said, as she left to go upstairs. She changed out of her pajamas, donning her usual hoodie and shorts.

She returned to the kitchen to find Natsuko still eating, so she poured herself a bowl. The two ate in relative silence, until Natsuko finished hers and dumped the bowl in the sink.

"So what are we gonna do today?" she asked.

"I dunno," Kiora replied honestly. She still felt odd, like something bad was going to happen. "Maybe we could go find Melody and Serenity."

"Oh!" Natsuko said, remembering. "Serenity said she wanted to treat for lunch, for breaking your finger!"

"Good," Kiora said. "'Cuz I'm broke."

-----

Kiora and Natsuko found the Uchiha twins in an abandoned lot, practicing ninja techniques. Serenity managed to slip a hand through her sister's defenses, but Melody swiftly dodged. Melody returned the move with a roundhouse kick, headed for Serenity's face, but she managed to get a hand up to parry. Both girls drew kunai at almost the same instant, then went through a dizzying array of attack and defense exchanges. Finally, they both sat down to catch their breath.

"That was awesome," Kiora said. The twins finally noticed their visitors. Serenity sprang up, winced as she put weight back on her sore feet, and gave Kiora a hug.

"I'm so sorry!" she said. "I really should have been more careful!"

Kiora explained that a lot more had happened since she broke her finger. She ended with the rather thrilling tale of her defeat of Naruto. Serenity glanced at Melody, who nodded.

"We heard Naruto was dead," Melody said. "But we had no idea who had enough power to overwhelm his Kyuubi and tear out his heart. Guess you had it in you all along."

Kiora managed a weak giggle at that, then turned to regard the street that ran along the lot. Serenity came up and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's really not that tragic of a loss to the village," she said. "Naruto was just an idiot, and a pedophile to boot."

Kiora shrugged the hand away. She still couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong.

"C'mon!" Melody said, running up to the pair. "Let's hit the Ichiraku noodle bar!"

Kiora and Serenity agreed to go along to the bar, and they all made their way down the street. They reached the bar, headed inside, and placed their orders. They didn't get much time to eat, though, as an Anbu Black Ops Ninja ran inside, glanced around, and pulled Kiora off to the side.

"We've just received word," he said. "Your mother, Sakura, is dead."

A/N: Read and review. Trust me, the story is gonna go somewhere soon.


	6. Living Dead

A/N: Okay, I pissed off a lot of my readers with the last chapter. I assure you, no more central characters will die. At least, not at this point in the planning stages. And I'm sorry I managed to kill off such an important character. Although, to tell you the truth, her death was planned from the start. Naruto's death was the accident. But enough of that crap, on with the next chapter!

**Help Needed**

Kiora staggered from the news, managing to grab onto the nearest table for support.

"W-w-where is she?" she finally asked. The Black Ops ninja pulled her close to him, flitted through a few handsigns, and teleported them into the hallway outside Tsunade's office.

"Right through there," he said, indicating the office.

Kiora stepped inside, surprised at the crowd that had gathered. Rock Lee, Sasuke Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, and several others she didn't know. She picked her mother out of the crowd, kneeling over Sakura's body.

"I should have known this would happen," Hinata was saying, to no one in particular. "I should have known that when I had someone I cared about, it would only be temporary." With that, she buried her face in her arms and wept.

"I'm sorry mom," Kiora said, putting her hand on her mother's shoulder. Hinata didn't look up.

"She didn't even die in battle," Kakashi said, coming over. "Some coward snuck into their tent and murdered her in her sleep. This was found by her," he added, producing a long stemmed rose, so deeply crimson it seemed black. "It was also what they were sent to investigate."

Kiora finally started to show interest. Kakashi continued.

"There have been a string of murders in the forests surrounding Konoha, all killed the same way. Two puncture wounds to the neck, and the bodies have been completely drained of blood. Every one was found with a black rose."

Kiora turned away to examine her mother's body. She found the pair of marks on the neck, and her mother's flesh was indeed white from lack of blood. Kiora laid her head on her mother's chest, closing her eyes. She could almost feel her heartbeat.

Wait! That _WAS_ a heartbeat! Kiora scrambled, flipping through the few handsigns to activate her Byakugan. She gazed into her mother's chest, and found her heart. Sure enough, it was still beating.

"She's not dead!" Kiora exclaimed. The entire room turned to regard her. "Her heart's still beating!"

"Kiora, we checked her pulse, there was none," Sasuke said.

"That's because there's no blood for a pulse to affect," Kiora said urgently. "I think she's been using healing jutsu to keep herself alive. But when she runs out of chakra, she really will die."

Kiora closed her eyes, focusing on the part of her mind where the patriarch gene activated. "Please don't be good at just combat," she whispered. She flipped through several handsigns as though they were second nature. She felt the mounting energy inside her, and she placed her hand over the wound in her mother's neck. She felt something coursing through her arm, but the color in her mother's flesh was slowly returning. She finally felt it stop, and knew the wounds were closing. She pulled her hand away, seeing her mother good as new.

"C'mon mom," Kiora said. "Wake up."

Sakura's eyes remained resolutely closed. Kiora pressed two fingers to her neck, feeling for a pulse. She still felt the beat of her mother's heart, but why wasn't she waking up?!

Kiora slumped to the floor. "It didn't work," she said weakly. "It had to work. It _had_ to."

Sakura's eyes fluttered open. "Where's my baby girl?" she asked.

"MOM!!" Kiora shouted, springing to her feet. She threw her arms around her mother, pulling her in close, and a cheer went up behind them.

Far removed from the celebration, Kakashi, Tsunade, and Sasuke stood huddled in a corner.

"I've never seen anything like it," Tsunade said. "The wounds, or the way Kiora pulled her mother from the brink of death."

"She has amazing power," Kakashi said, nodding. "If my count is correct, she has inherited the patriarch gene of the Hyuga clan. She will be a force to be reckoned with when the curse finally activates fully."

"You say curse," Sasuke said. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that every Hyuga who has inherited the gene has died because of the excess chakra they produce. Their gift of strength is also fated to be their downfall. She will have to be monitored in the future, to protect her own life."

Sasuke and Tsunade nodded in agreement, then the trio left to join the celebrations.

A/N: Okay, really really short, I know, but, as I told kyouger, Sakura's death wasn't going to be permanent. Read and review, and the next chapter will be longer. And more ahem "lemony," and less "limey."


	7. Perverse Fantasies

A/N: Yay! Sakura's back to life! Time to go hunt her killer! If you haven't already guessed, that will be the main plot in this story, at least until I decide to change it. I'm just weird like that. Oh! And in response to the one review I got that was complaining about the lack of lemony goodness in this story, I have decided to add a lemon scene. Actually, two at once!! Nya-haan!!!!!11!!!!

**Help Wanted**

Kiora fell into Natsuko's arms, back in her own room. She began kissing her girlfriend all over, pulling her own clothes off as quickly as she could. She found the bottom edge of Natsuko's shirt and pulled it off over her head.

"What the hell?" Natsuko asked. "Your mother just died and you saved her again, but you're horny as hell?"

"Shut up and take off your panties," Kiora snapped. She pulled off her own, threw them into the pile of clothes at the end of the bed, and pulled Natsuko in for another kiss. They collapsed onto the bed, Kiora slipping her fingers deep into Natsuko's pussy. Natsuko moaned and pushed her own fingers into Kiora. They held that position for several minutes, until Kiora felt the beginnings of an orgasm. She pulled her fingers out, licked them clean, and flipped through the few hand signs her mother had taught her.

"I learned this technique to stimulate cell division," she said, placing a hand on each of Natsuko's breasts. "I can use it to make your boobs bigger, if you want."

Natsuko nodded enthusiastically and Kiora released her chakra. Natsuko's breasts, starting at a B-cup, swelled to a DD-cup within minutes. Kiora still held the jutsu, letting Natsuko's breasts go up to an F-cup and beyond.

"Don't stop!" Natsuko shouted, holding Kiora's wrists to keep her hands in place. Kiora obliged, letting Natsuko's breasts grow up past a MMM-cup. Natsuko's fingers began to slip off of Kiora's wrists due to her breasts' large size. Finally Kiora pulled her hands away, and stepped back. The bed sagged in the middle from the excess weight.

"Try sitting up," Kiora said. Natsuko tried to lean forward, but the weight of breasts that, as Kiora stood next to Natsuko on the bed, had nipples level with her own, forced her back down. Kiora crawled up behind her, put her hands on her shoulders, and pulled. Natsuko finally rose to a sitting position, and almost managed to stand before she overbalanced and fell face-down to the floor. Her breasts cushioned the fall, and, with Kiora's help again, managed to stand.

-----

Hinata carefully pulled the razor along her lover's soft skin, shaving pink hair away. She shaved away the hair along her legs, moving up until she reached the small patch of pink above Sakura's pussy.

"You have no idea how much I've been needing this," Hinata said as she scraped away Sakura's pubic hair. "I thought I'd never get the chance again."

Sakura, her pussy now completely free of hair, pulled Hinata up into a kiss. "It was my thoughts of seeing you again that kept me from going over the edge," she said.

Hinata pressed her lips against Sakura's forcefully, responding with actions rather than words. She ran her tongue across Sakura's lips, begging entry into her lover's mouth. Sakura pressed back, the two lost in waves of passion they had not felt since before Kiora was born.

-----

Speaking of Kiora, she and Natsuko were still going at it. Kiora had shrunk Natsuko's breasts back to a reasonable size (H-cup), so that they could work around them. Natsuko pulled Kiora down onto the bed so she was straddling her face, and buried her tongue deep into Kiora's pussy. Kiora flipped through a pair of handsigns, then placed her fingers on Natsuko's clit and G-spot, sending waves of chakra into the girl. Natsuko came, spilling her juices onto Kiora's waiting tongue.

Kiora flipped Natsuko over, slapped her playfully across the ass, and ran to her closet. She returned with a pair of dildos, and proceeded to slide one into Natsuko's pussy. Kiora licked the other, slicking it up with saliva. She slowly slid this one into Natsuko's ass, and the girl screamed

-----

"What was that?" Sakura asked. Hinata put a finger to her lips and moved down her body to plant her own lips on Sakura's clit.

Sakura, sufficiently distracted, let the scream pass. She focused her attention on her lover, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash her newest fetish.

Hinata's tongue caressed Sakura's inner folds, bringing her to the brink of her first orgasm of the night. As Sakura's juices flowed freely onto Hinata's tongue, Sakura grabbed her wrists and forced them into a pair of handcuffs behind her back.

"What the hell?" Hinata asked. She struggled futilely against the handcuffs. Sakura grabbed a second pair, hooked one end through the chain binding Hinata's wrists, and hooked the other to the head of the bed.

"You will now address me as 'mistress' or 'Lady Sakura'" she said, similarly binding Hinata's ankles. Hinata, catching on, squirmed and arched her back enough to present her pussy.

"Punish me, mistress," she said. Sakura produced a whip, and playfully cracked it across Hinata's thighs. Hinata let out a low moan, and Sakura repeated the motion, drawing up a similar red mark near the first.

-----

Kiora hung on as Natsuko's body shook from the intense orgasm. She glanced down at the mattress and saw a puddle of cum between Natsuko's legs. Natsuko glanced back at Kiora, then collapsed into a pillow.

"I'm done for now," Natsuko said, her voiced muffled by the pillow.

Kiora laughed and rolled Natsuko over, off the edge of the bed. She hit the floor with a dull thud. Kiora used the opportunity to pull the sheets off the bed, toss them to the laundry basket, and track down a new set. Natsuko, still lying on the floor, shut her eyes and tried to remember the symbols Kiora had used for her breast expansion. When Kiora finally pulled the new sheets onto the bed, Natsuko tackled her and pinned her to the bed with her knees. She flipped through the same handsigns Kiora had, and placed her hands over Kiora's breasts.

"Wait Natsuko!" Kiora shouted, but it was too late. Natsuko released the energy of the technique, but instead of modulating it, as Kiora had done, she released it all at once. Kiora's rapidly growing breasts, which had started at D, knocked Natsuko back onto the floor. The instant increase in weight bent the bed frame so that the middle almost touched the floor. Kiora was smothered by the mounds of flesh, and the weight was crushing her lungs. She knew she had to roll over, get her breasts under her, but they were still expanding, spilling over the sides of the bed. Kiora felt the side of her breast hit the cold wood of the floor, but her vision was blocked by the soft flesh. Kiora shouted for Natsuko, and heard a vague reply.

Natsuko was panicking. She heard Kiora's struggles, but the only part of her body she could see, besides breasts, were the ends of her feet. Natsuko flipped through the same handsigns she had used before, but in reverse order, and hoped they would work. She put her hands on Kiora's quivering mounds, and released the energy.

Kiora felt the wave of energy course through her body, and crossed her fingers. She was running out of oxygen, and didn't want to be the only person to suffocate on their own boobs. Thankfully, they began to retract, and Kiora was able to breath. They stopped though, just after they cleared her face.

"What the hell, Natsuko?" Kiora shouted. "Get these things off of me!" Kiora craned her neck, and saw Natsuko passed out on the floor. She assumed she had run out of chakra, so Kiora really had no other option than to just sit there until Natsuko woke up and fixed the problem. She managed to free an arm and prodded her breast. The flesh jiggled in response, and Kiora began poking it at set intervals, amplifying the jiggles so her breasts bounced across the bed.

At least, until the bed gave out. With an ear- splitting crunch, the bed and the floor became one. Kiora's built up momentum rolled her off of the bed, and sprawled her onto the floor next to Natsuko. Kiora gave a resigned sigh, and tried futilely to sleep with her lover.

-----

Meanwhile, Sakura had Hinata tied to each of the bedposts with her butt in the air. Sakura repeatedly cracked her whip across Hinata's ass, drawing thin red lines from the flesh. Hinata struggled, crying out with each strike, though she really was incredibly turned on by this. Sakura took a break, and sat down next to Hinata's face.

"Lick me clean," Sakura said, spreading her legs in Hinata's direction.

"Ooh, yes Lady Sakura," Hinata purred. She craned her neck to try to get her mouth near Sakura's pussy, but she couldn't reach. Sakura replied with a crack of the whip.

"Come now, you can try harder than that," she said, teasing Hinata by moving closer, then pulling away at the last second.

"Please mistress," Hinata said. "All I wish to do is please you."

Sakura almost lost her domineering attitude at that. It took a lot of self control to keep from leaping down and hugging Hinata for her excess of cuteness. Instead she relented, letting Hinata bury her tongue inside her again.

"Y-yes!" Sakura managed to say. "Just like that!"

"I knew you'd be pleased, my mistress," Hinata said. Sakura finally lost it, coming down in a fit of giggles that ended in screams of ecstasy as Hinata brought her to another orgasm. When she had recovered, she unchained Hinata, letting her rise to a sitting position.

"You know," Hinata said. "You've gotten off twice already, but I haven't cum once tonight."

"I know a way to remedy that," Sakura said, pulling Hinata's bottom towards her. She slid her tongue deep inside her lover's pussy, drawing forth moans of pleasure. Hinata and Sakura continued their lovemaking long into the night, until they noticed the light of dawn streaming in through the curtains.

-----

"Dammit Natsuko," Kiora said loudly. "Wake up!" Still feeling crushed under the weight of her overgrown breasts, Kiora wriggled an arm free and punched Natsuko in the shoulder.

"Wha?" Natsuko said groggily. Kiora repeated her punch. Natsuko finally woke up, saw Kiora, and flipped through the necessary handsigns. Within minutes, Kiora's breasts were back to their normal DDs.

"I never want boobs that big again," Kiora said, shaking her head. She looked at her bed, now flat against the floor, and hoped her mothers wouldn't mind too much.

-----

Kohana looked out of her mountain cave into the forest below.

"They are growing aware," she said. She retreated back into the darkness of the cave, looking to see the mighty red dragon she had overpowered. "Soon, we will be discovered, Fyrentennimar."

The notion of upcoming battle pleased the ancient beast.

A/N. There. Is it "lemony" enough for you people?!? This was WAY too long for me. Actually, I could get used to these almost 1900 word chapters. Have fun reading guys.


	8. Unfinished Business

A/N: Ok, the uber-lemon went down well. Time to get on with the plot. I think. Maybe. Oh, screw it, let's just start typing and see what happens!

**Help Needed**

Kohana sank back into the sheltering darkness of her cavern. For seven centuries, her hunger had been sated, but now, for some unexplained reason, she couldn't stop feeding. The recent string of victims had been unnoticed until the pink-haired girl, and she would undoubtedly survive any conflicts she encountered, but something about being found unsettled her. She looked back to the mighty red dragon she had teamed up with over four and a half centuries ago.

Fyrentennimar was a mighty beast, and ancient dragon, the most powerful of his kind. His flaming breath could melt a mountain of solid stone, and his ability to call upon magic was unsurpassed. Yet he had been overpowered by this tiny little girl, one who had entered his mind and bent his will, and, at the beginning, he had been a slave. Now, he was a willing participant in Kohana's schemes.

Yes, being the familiar of a vampire has its advantages. Kohana was the true queen of the undead, a perversion on nature itself. She could barely remember anything from her life as a mortal being. The one thing she did remember was the person who had killed her. He had jet black hair, and a pair of grey, pupil-less eyes. A Hyuga.

-----

Kiora Hyuga Haruno slid from her bed. Forgetting that it was no longer as high as it once was, she fell to the floor before she got her feet under her. She pulled herself up, muttering curses at Natsuko, who was indirectly responsible for the injury. Kiora crossed the hallway to her bathroom, meaning to just jump in the shower and get breakfast on this relaxing Sunday morning.

She yanked open the shower curtain and jumped back in shock. Ino Yamanaka, a permanent house guest after Naruto's pedophilic rampage, was passed out in the tub, a line of white powder on the rim. Rage filled Kiora. How could someone be so inconsiderate for other people? She had let Naruto have his way with her daughter, and she was involved with these foul substances.

Kiora drove a foot into the side of the tub and stalked out of the bathroom. She pulled the covers off her lover, grabbing her ankles and pulling her out of bed.

"What?" Natsuko asked angrily. "I didn't do it this time, I swear."

"No," Kiora replied. "But your mother did." She motioned for Natsuko to follow her and led the way into the bathroom. They found Ino, barely conscious, woken up by Kiora's kick. The line of cocaine was still on the edge of the tub.

"Hey baby," Ino said. "How's my little girl?" She was slurring her speech horribly, and Kiora fought the urge to reach down and strangle her. Natsuko seemed speechless. The pair watched as Ino fumbled in her pocket for something, gave up, picked up her straw off the bottom of the tub, and snorted the remaining line.

"That does it," Kiora said, turning away. "I'm getting my mother."

"Which one?" Natsuko called behind her. Kiora ignored the joke.

She found Hinata and Sakura in a situation that was no less embarrassing. A pile of whips, chains, and various other toys was in the corner, discarded haphazardly. As for Hinata and Sakura themselves, they were nude and still embracing each other. Kiora quickly averted her eyes. Facing away from them, she called over her shoulder.

"When you guys are conscious enough, we have a situation with Ino," Kiora said. She noticed movement out of the corner of her eye, so she left. She returned to find Natsuko helping her mother out of the tub. Kiora again was embarrassed as Ino's skirt pulled up, revealing that neither Natsuko nor her mother thought much of the use of underwear. Kiora helped Ino over to the sink, where Ino swayed for a second, then vomited, not even looking down, so it sprayed all over the mirror. Kiora fought back another urge to kill the woman, and left to check on her own mother's progress.

Hinata had pulled on a bathrobe and greeted Kiora in the hall. "What happened, sweetie?" she asked. Kiora quickly explained the situation she had found Ino in, and Hinata nodded. "I'll tend to Ino for now, but we may have to send her away. This isn't something I can take lightly." The pair moved to the bathroom, where Natsuko was trying desperately to clean up after her mother.

"I don't get it," Natsuko said. "I've never seen her like this."

"Natsuko, you've done enough," Hinata said. "Go down to the kitchen and prepare something for breakfast. Kiora and I will handle this."

Natsuko hesitated for an instant, and then complied. Kiora glanced back down to Ino, seated on the floor with her knees drawn up to her chin. Kiora couldn't help but see the resemblance to her daughter when she was troubled. At least, until Ino lost bladder control. Kiora jumped back as the puddle of urine spread across the floor. There was something strangely erotic about it, but with Ino masked in vomit and alcohol, as well as illegal drugs, Kiora merely made a mental note to try it when she was alone again with Natsuko. Hinata helped Ino back to her feet.

"Come on now," she said. "Back to your room." To Kiora, she added, "Could you fetch the mop and clean some of this up? When Ino's sobered up, I'll have her do the rest."

Kiora trudged down to the kitchen. Natsuko was frying up eggs, with sliced ham and onions on the counter.

"Omelets?" Kiora asked. Natsuko nodded.

"My specialty," she said. Kiora turned her around, planted her lips briefly on Natsuko's, and headed off.

-----

Two hours later, the bathroom no longer reeked of urine and vomit. Ino had sobered quickly with Sakura flushing out her system every ten minutes, and had helped Kiora clean up.

"I'm really sorry for that," she said. Kiora turned to regard her. "It's just-" She paused. "I don't really know why I did it. I was an idiot. I've never been a really good parent, but that was the threat Naruto always held over me to get to Natsuko. He threatened to turn me in if I didn't let him have his way with her."

Kiora again fought the urge to kill Ino, though this time the rage was intended at Naruto. Kiora took a deep breath, found her center, and calmed again. She looked up at Ino, to find she had moved much closer. She was nearly identical to Natsuko, except her boobs were bigger. Kiora shook her head to clear the thought. This was Natsuko's mother! It was one thing to fool around with Melody and Serenity, but Natsuko's mother was one, old enough to be her mother, and two, related to her lover! Kiora, for all her reasoning, couldn't pull away, even as Ino's lips connected with her own. She mentally cried out in protest, but couldn't bring herself to move back the inch it would take to break contact.

Ino's hands found their way to Kiora's shorts, and Kiora did finally break off.

"You're drunk, aren't you?" Kiora asked. She moved in close to Ino's face. Ino puckered up her lips for another kiss, but Kiora stopped short and sniffed. She detected no scent of alcohol. Ino once again kissed her, and Kiora felt her reasons for opposing the contact disappear. She began to kiss back, her tongue dancing around Ino's as the two explored each other's bodies with their hands. Ino's shirt found its way to the floor, and Kiora took a large breast in each hand.

"You've learned well from fucking my daughter," Ino said. Kiora's conscience once again warned her of the implications of this, but Kiora forced the reasoning away. A knock at the bathroom door, however, brought Kiora back to reality. Natsuko's voice came through the other side.

"Are you done cleaning yet?" she asked. "I really gotta pee!" Ino pulled her shirt back on, gave Kiora a look that plainly said, _let's continue this later,_ and pulled open the door.

"All done," she said, giving Natsuko a peck on the cheek. Natsuko blushed furiously and entered the bathroom, lightly pushing Kiora out of the way. Natsuko fumbled with the button on her jeans, and gave the zipper a yank.

It stuck. Natsuko panicked. "Help me Kiora!" she cried as she frantically pulled on the piece of metal. Kiora reached down to help, as Natsuko tugged hard. The pull for the zipper separated from the actual slide, leaving Natsuko's pants stuck on tightly. Natsuko tried desperately to pull the zipper off, but it held fast. Natsuko, in a last ditch effort to save face, pulled aside the shower curtain and stepped into the tub.

Kiora watched as the damp spot in Natsuko's crotch spread, flowing down the inside of her legs to splash into the tub. Natsuko simply stood, horrorstruck, as her bladder emptied itself into her pants. The wet spot continued to spread as Natsuko's jeans absorbed more liquid. Kiora couldn't help it. She snapped the door to the bathroom shut, pulled off her own clothes, and climbed into the tub beside her lover. Kiora placed her hand over Natsuko's crotch, and felt piss still streaming out of her. Kiora turned Natsuko around, and laughed as she saw that the wet spot was growing, following the seam up the butt of Natsuko's jeans.

"Done yet?" Kiora asked. Natsuko shook her head. Kiora looked to the floor of the tub. The golden puddle around Natsuko's bare feet was still spreading. Kiora bent low, scooped some of the liquid into her hands, and turned to face Natsuko.

"I've recently been fantasizing about water sports," Kiora said, letting the warm fluid run down her breasts. Natsuko raised an eyebrow. Kiora laughed at the expression, and ran her fingers through her pink hair. Natsuko's expression didn't waver. Kiora scooped up more of Natsuko's pee in her cupped hands and let it cascade down her belly. She ran her fingers through the liquid and licked them clean.

"Done yet?" Kiora repeated. This time, Natsuko nodded. Kiora pushed the girl down gently, so she was sitting in the puddle of her own fluids, and squatted over Natsuko's chest. "Geronimo!" she cried, as she let loose a stream of golden pee and let it flow over Natsuko's breasts. Her shirt was instantly soaked, and Kiora didn't relent. Natsuko put her cupped hands under the stream, gathering urine, then flung it up at Kiora, giggling.

"You were right," Natsuko said. "This is fun." She moved to cup her hands under Kiora's stream again, but it had stopped.

"I'm empty," Kiora admitted. "I think this would be more fun if we had a big group of people."

"Like us and the twins?" Natsuko asked. "And maybe my mom."

Kiora stared.

"Yeah, I never told you this," Natsuko said. "Actually, my mom was the one who got me into being a lesbian. It started when I was about, um…" She counted on her fingers. "Eleven," she decided. "She was always so open with her body, and her sexuality, it just sort of happened one day."

Kiora couldn't believe her ears. Her beloved Natsuko had gotten her start committing incest with her mother. This was good news, she decided. Now, if it worked, Kiora wouldn't have to feel so guilty about that kiss just a while ago.

Kiora helped Natsuko out of her clothes and turned on the shower. The two washed off the remnants of their newfound perversions and found clean clothes. This time, Natsuko made sure to check the zipper before she put them on.

-----

Kohana looked out into the sky as the sun faded from view. After so many centuries of undeath, she had few weaknesses. Even exposure to the sun could only weaken her. She would need almost a week of exposure to sunlight before it would begin to break down her body. Still, her powers were not as effective in the light of day. She would head out tonight, as soon as the sun fell, to complete her last kill. She knew the woman had survived, could feel the heart beating, but could do no more than drain the blood. She reached down to the bush next to the cave's entrance, and pulled up a fresh rose. In her hands, it blackened, and she carefully inserted it into her hair, where it contrasted sharply with her pale skin and platinum blonde hair.

Yes, she would finish her business tonight.

A/N: W00t! More lemony goodness! I hope you people aren't too disturbed by my crazy fantasies. Please read and review, and get ready for the new update, which will be up soon.


	9. Avenged Sevenfold

A/N: OK, I've gotten a lot of reviews saying, "Hey, you're the writer, it's your story," so I'm deciding to stay away from the water sports for the time being. Actually, more like for the rest of my authoring career. It's time for some real plot development this time, instead of saying I'll do it and then getting distracted by the porn that is so easily accessed on the school's internet. Ahh, porn. Where would the world be without you? Gazes longingly into the sky Oh. Sorry, my bad. On with the chapter!

**Help Needed**

Kohana called upon her innate energies, becoming less than corporeal, and drifting off over the forest under the twilight. She knew vaguely where she had to go to find her victim, and soon saw the lights of Konohagakure in the distance. She reverted to her normal form, drew her cloak tightly around her, and vanished from sight.

She reappeared in an alley next to an apartment complex, and looked up to the open window on the third floor. With a thought, she was there, looking in on the inhabitants. All three had similar jet-black hair, the oldest being male, and the younger two appearing to Kohana to be his daughters. She vanished again, reappearing this time outside a single home. She drew level with the window on the second story, and recognized the pink hair of the girl inside. The girl had her back turned, so Kohana couldn't see her face, so the vampiress lay in wait, wanting to be certain this was her true target. She listened carefully to the conversation within.

"Mmm, Natsuko, you do that so well."

"Thanks, I've had lots of practice."

Kohana realized what she was listening to as the moans rolled out the window. She looked inside again, and finally caught a glimpse of the pink-haired girl's face.

Those eyes. They were the same pupil-less, gray Hyuga eyes that had haunted Kohana ever since her death. Kohana pulled her wits together and set off, seeking another occupant of the house. She found another, a woman, with short black hair, dressed in a robe, as the woman headed down the stairs into the lower level.

"Sakura?" The woman called. "Can we talk?" A second woman entered, facing the first. The pink hair and blue-green eyes were very clear to Kohana.

This was her victim.

She slipped, unseen, through the open window. She crept silently along, up behind her victim, and bared her fangs. She moved into striking position, and promptly dropped back as Hinata Hyuga's fist slammed into her face.

The move forced Kohana into visibility, and she realized she didn't stand a chance by going invisible again. She recognized the all-seeing eyes of the Hyuga woman, and knew she was sorely mistaken to come back.

"So," Sakura said, falling into an offensive stance. "You're the one who attacked me while I was asleep. Not very sporting of you."

Kohana hissed, baring her fangs, and struck out. With speed and strength beyond that of any normal human, she was able to land a solid hit on each of her opponents before they could get any sort of defense in the way. Sakura staggered back, but Hinata rolled with the blow, absorbing the hit without any real damage. Hinata went through several handsigns, and came up spitting a fireball at the vampire.

Kohana smartly teleported away, reappearing behind her opponents. Hinata's fireball destroyed the wall dividing this room with the next, and weakened the ceiling dangerously. Kohana hit both of the women in their kidneys, driving them to separate walls.

A pair of girls came down the stairs. One was the girl Kohana had seen earlier, and the other must be the "Natsuko" she had been speaking to.

"Kiora," Sakura called. "Get out! Run!"

Kiora stayed rooted to the spot. Kohana advanced on her, and the girl flipped through handsigns so fast that Kohana wasn't even sure she had actually done anything, until the Chidori's lightning appeared in the palm of her hand.

"Kiora! RUN!" Sakura shouted again. Kiora glanced at her palm, willed away the chakra, and heeded her mother's advice. She grabbed Natsuko, flipped through several handsigns, and teleported away.

Kohana turned and focused her attention on Sakura, intent on finishing the kill she had failed at before. Kohana lunged, leading with her fangs. Sakura raised her arms in an attempt to block, but Kohana latched onto her jugular and held on. Sakura's struggling weakened as Kohana feasted. Hinata appeared next to her and began stabbing the vampire, but every time she pulled back her kunai, the Kohana's skin was already healing. Hinata activated her Byakugan and hit the vampire directly over her heart, unleashing waves of chakra into her. Still the vampiress held on, and Sakura slumped, supported only by her fangs. Finally, Kohana looked up, and Sakura fell to the floor, dead.

Hinata was consumed by rage, but knew in her mind that she could do nothing against this foe. She turned and began to flee, but powerful hands clamped over her neck, cutting off her air supply and threatening to crush her vertebrae. Hinata new that death was at hand, knew that there was no way for her to survive this encounter. But she was determined to take down the vampiress with her. She flipped through a long chain of hand signs, racing against the amount of oxygen she had left. She fired off the last sign, and the resulting lightning explosion wiped out the first level of the house. The house collapsed, burying the remaining occupants.

-----

Kiora looked back to see her home fall to the ground. She collapsed to the ground, denying that it had happened.

"No," she said. "No, no, no, no, NO!" She screamed the last word into the darkness, and the tears came forth. She hadn't cried when she heard about Sakura, but now, to have witnessed the fall of something so pure as her home, she could no longer contain the emotions.

Natsuko stood oddly removed from the scene. She knew her mother hadn't been in the house, having returned briefly to the Yamanaka home to retrieve several belongings. But she couldn't deny the fact that what she had just seen unnerved her. She wanted to go to Kiora, to put a comforting hand on her shoulder and tell her everything would be okay, but she couldn't.

Kiora, overcome with grief, began to sing softly into the darkness. Natsuko recognized the song as I Won't See You Tonight by Avenged Sevenfold.

"Cry alone, I've gone away," Kiora sang. "No more nights, no more pain."

Natsuko finally did manage to put her hand on Kiora's shoulder, and she joined in the next line. "I've gone alone, took all my strength," she sang. "I've made the change, I won't see you tonight."

Kiora wiped a hand across her cheek, a pitiful attempt to dry away the tears, and turned away from the scene.

"Remember where Melody and Serenity live?" she asked. Natsuko nodded. "Lead the way, then," Kiora finished.

-----

Sasuke Uchiha was very surprised when he opened the door to find Kiora on his doorstep.

"What happened?" he asked. Kiora moved inside and plopped on the couch.

"My mothers," she said. "They're dead. Something attacked them in our house."

As she spoke the words, tears streamed silently down her face.

"What was it?" Sasuke asked. Kiora laughed, an accidental giggle at first, then burst into hysterical laughter. Sasuke almost feared she had lost her mind.

"A vampire," she finished, wiping away the tears. A cruel grin spread across her face. "A mother fucking vampire. My parents were killed by a figment of my imagination."

Sasuke shook his head. "Do you really know the full story of the patriarch gene?" he asked. Kiora shook her head. "The last Hyuga to carry the gene battled a young woman, an evil being of considerable power. He defeated her, but the sheer amount of chakra released in the battle consumed him. His very life-force fled his body, and the woman's spirit absorbed his own. She is a perversion of life itself, the very embodiment of her own power and the combined power of the patriarch."

Kiora sat in a kind of stunned disbelief. "If you knew all this, why did you send my mothers to investigate it in the first place?" she asked accusatorily.

"Because, we didn't know if it was indeed the vampiress or a copycat," Sasuke replied. "Get some rest, and I'll get Kakashi over here. He can explain some of your new abilities better than I can."

Kiora nodded her assent, turning to go into Melody and Serenity's room. Natsuko had already pulled out a pair of sleeping bags and was seated on hers, conversing with Melody on vampire lore. She looked up when Kiora entered.

"We've figured out a lot about how you can kill this vampire," Natsuko said. Kiora pretended to look interested. "Firstly, they're undead, which means any damage dealt to them by fire can't be healed." Now Kiora was genuinely interested. "And you probably already know the usual stuff, garlic and silver, wooden stakes, etcetera."

Kiora motioned for the book they had been reading. She glanced through it, confirming that there was indeed a string of vampire-related deaths in Konoha about seven centuries ago, around the same time as the last patriarch gene user.

She tossed the book back to Natsuko and flopped onto her bedroll and tried to push away the residual pain, but Hinata's and Sakura's faces kept swimming to the front of her mind. Kiora willed the memories away, forcing herself to forget, at least temporarily. She failed, and ended up crying herself to sleep for the first time in many years.

-----

Kohana was in terrible pain. She couldn't deny that Hinata's initial strike to the heart wasn't painful, and that suicidal lightning blast had almost killed her. Kohana staggered from the rubble of the building, wincing with each step. She realized how lucky she had been. The gas stove had detonated with the lightning blast, and the only reason Kohana hadn't been burned to a crisp was the fact that she had remained buried for so long. Kohana willed her corporeal form away, becoming invisible, and teleported away to her cave.

Fyrentennimar knew Kohana was wounded the instant she returned to the cave. He called upon his innate magical energies, turning himself into the human male form he usually used around Kohana. The vampiress had also used Fyren as a lover on those occasions when centuries of lust consumed her. The dragon/human moved to Kohana's side, but instead she slapped him away. The proud beast turned in rage to attack, but knew that Kohana, even wounded, was stronger than he. He was fearful, knowing that whoever had hurt Kohana this badly was indeed a very powerful being.

Kohana retired to her private chamber, reflecting on the evening's activities. Her thoughts turned to Kiora, remembering how quickly the girl had activated such powerful energies. She remembered the other Hyuga she had encountered, back in life, and realized this girl was nearly identical in power to him. Kohana decided the girl would have to be her last victim. Somehow she knew that killing that one would sate her hunger for another seven centuries.

-----

"We have a situation," Sasuke said. Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Sakura and Hinata are dead, I saw the bodies for myself."

"I will train Kiora," Kakashi said. "If she is as powerful as the legends of the patriarch claim, then she will grow to rival even the Hokage."

"Lady Tsunade would not be pleased to hear you say that," Sasuke said, laughing. He looked to Kakashi and added, "Kiora is looking forward to speaking with you."

Kakashi nodded again. He turned away from Sasuke and leapt away, towards the pile of debris that was the remainder of Kiora's home.

A/N: Sorry guys, it had to happen. The story must continue. The smut can't last forever! And neither can Kiora's innocence. So sorry, my beloved Kiora-chan!


	10. Goodbye, World

A/N: Ok, kyouger, the vampire's name is Kohana, not Konoha. It's just a coincidence. Has anybody noticed how all the chapter titles are two words? Yeah. They are. I like making connections with the titles. This story arc is nearing its conclusion, so expect major character deaths/events soon. Enjoy.

**Help Needed**

The month of October passed mostly uneventfully in Konohagakure. Kakashi kept Kiora aware of the situation on any murders involving Kohana, as well as training her on advanced jutsus. Kiora had soon mastered a more powerful Chidori, almost every fire-style technique, and was now working on lightning techniques. Natsuko often watched Kiora's training sessions, but liked to avoid getting in the way.

Kiora visited her parents' graves on Halloween. Natsuko came with her, and the two girls sat in silence for over an hour as Kiora sat with her eyes shut, flipping through handsigns.

"Damn," Kiora muttered as she opened her eyes. Natsuko shook her head to clear it, and looked at her lover curiously.

"Their spirits," Kiora said. "I found Hinata, but she doesn't know where Sakura is. No one knows where Sakura is."

Kiora looked at the ground of Sakura's grave. She felt something amiss, like the soil wasn't truly at rest, but dismissed the notion. She rose to her feet, and turned to leave.

-----

Kohana dodged her disciple's well-aimed strike, and used her innate abilities to teleport behind her.

Sakura flipped through several handsigns and prepared for another strike. To her surprise, the doppelganger jutsu didn't work.

"Almost a month as a vampire and you're _still _trying to use ninjutsu?" Kohana asked. Sakura glared at the vampiress.

"You should know by now that as an undead creature, you have no life-force, and thus, no chakra," Kohana said. "I can use jutsus because I was turned undead by a combination of my own chakra and the chakra of an old Hyuga over seven centuries ago."

Sakura instantly wished she could pull up a fireball and roast Kohana into a crisp. Instead she spun on her heel and stormed out of the cavern, into the next cave. She shot a glare at Fyrentennimar that set the dragon back on its heels, and continued towards the entrance of the cave. Not surprisingly, Kohana teleported ahead of her.

"You know sunlight will kill you," she said. Sakura pressed on anyways. Kohana flung out her arm, and Sakura staggered back from the blow.

"You will not leave," Kohana said, her voice deadly cold. "I will separate you from your lover for eternity, and longer after that. When you live as long as I have, you realize that love is never timeless."

"Aww, were you dumped in your pitiful mortal existence?" Sakura taunted. Kohana glared at her, and stormed off to her private chambers.

_I think you may have touched a nerve, _Fyren said telepathically. Sakura turned to the dragon.

_Fuck off, _Sakura said. She never liked when the dragon entered her thoughts, but she held no power to stop the beast. Fyrentennimar liked taunting her with images of Hinata, and Sakura promised herself that she would kill him.

-----

Kohana sat hunched in a corner of her room, tears streaming down her pale face. Sakura's taunt about being dumped reminded her of her lover, so long ago. She couldn't even remember his name, but his face, with his blond hair and blue eyes, was a constant reminder of what she lost when that Hyuga tried to kill her.

Clenching her fists in rage, she rose to her feet. She would find the daughter of Sakura, and take out her rage on her. Closing her eyes, she mentally called to Fyrentennimar. They would go out tonight.

-----

Kiora sat on the ground exhausted after her last day of training. Natsuko appeared at her side, offering her a bottle of water. Kakashi leaned against a tree, yanking kunai out of his legs.

"Nice shot," he said. "I think you're actually ready. If she comes for you, you'll be able to hold your own, if not win."

Kiora mulled that over for a second. If Kohana did indeed come after her, Kiora would avenge her mothers' deaths. She even considered tracking down the vampiress herself.

Kiora flipped through a few handsigns and activated a tracking jutsu. As soon as she did, she realized she had to have something for it to track. She dismissed the technique and took the bottle of water from Natsuko.

"You've really gotten strong," Natsuko said. Kiora shrugged.

"I don't really feel any stronger. I just feel empty," she replied. Her thoughts drifted back to her parents, to their kind faces, the way they had always been their. Sasuke was alright, but he was no Sakura Haruno or Hinata Hyuga. Kiora punched the ground, leaving a small crater where her fist struck. She looked up to see that Natsuko had backed off a step.

Kiora stood, pulled her girlfriend into a hug, and said sorry. Then she turned and headed back to the Uchiha home, where she was now staying.

-----

Sakura slipped silently out of the cavern once darkness fell. She flitted unseen through the trees toward Konoha village, finally coming to a stop outside the wreckage of her home. She suspected Hinata had been the one to bring the dwelling down, in an attempt to stop Kohana.

Sakura left the ruin behind, heading toward Sasuke's home. She remembered that was where she and Hinata had come to terms with their relationship. The thought brought tears to her eyes, but she pressed on.

She entered the apartment and immediately headed for where she believed his room to be. Discovering that she was right, she snuck right up behind him, cupped her hands over his eyes, and muttered, "Guess who?"

Sasuke jumped over a foot in the air, spinning while simultaneously drawing several shuriken. Realizing that Sakura was standing before him, he relaxed, though only slightly.

"I thought you were dead," he said tentatively. Sakura bared her fangs in response.

"Undead," she corrected. "And hating every instance of it."

Sasuke blinked, still trying to determine if this was an illusion. "Why are you here?" he finally asked.

"My mistress is hunting Kiora," she said. "She knows she has similar power to the last patriarch, and wants to finish off that threat. I think she was killed by the previous patriarch, which is why she holds such hatred for the Hyuga clan."

"Hang on," Sasuke said. "I'll fetch Kiora." He vanished into the next room, returning several minutes later with the girl.

"Mom!" Kiora cried, rushing to hug her mother. "How?"

Sakura showed off her fangs again. "Believe me, I'd rather be dead than what I am now."

Kiora looked puzzled by that comment, but continued to hug her mother anyways. "You're cold," she commented.

"Comes from being dead," Sakura muttered dryly. Kiora managed a small giggle at that. Sakura motioned for Sasuke to leave them.

"I need you to do something for me," she said, pulling away from Kiora to look her in the eye. "I need you to kill me."

Kiora jumped out of her mother's grasp, a surprising feat considering the vampiress' considerable strength. "No," she said instantly. "I can't!"

"Kiora," Sakura started. "The hunger is too much, and the pain is unbearable. I can't go on living this, this-" Sakura paused, searching for a word to describe her contempt. "Forget it. The point is, I can't go on like this."

Kiora closed her eyes, seeming to draw strength from her mother's words. "Tell me how," she finally said.

"Fire," Sakura said plainly. "Any other wound, other than silver, will heal. It has to be fire. Flaming silver would be best, but just fire is effective."

Kiora opened her eyes. "Outside?" she asked. Sakura nodded. The pair looked out the open window, to the three-story drop. "No problem," Kiora said, leaping out. Sakura shook her head, called upon her innate powers, and teleported to the ground, where she caught her daughter.

Kiora put her feet under her and stood several feet from her mother. Tears began to flow as she flipped through the necessary handsigns. She looked to her mother as she hit the last seal, unlocking her chakra. Sakura nodded, tears in her eyes as well. She raised her eyes to the sky as Kiora's fireball tore through her body.

Sakura felt her spirit leave her corporeal form, and knew the deed was done. She floated unseen in the darkness. She saw Kiora begin to flip through handsigns, and suddenly her daughter became very clear in the spirit world.

"Thank you," Sakura said. Kiora merely nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. Sakura reached out a hand to wipe off her daughter's cheek. Kiora placed her hand over her mother's, and silently, they said their goodbyes. Finally, Sakura turned and faded away.

Kiora pulled herself back to the normal world, shaking her head to orient herself. She pulled a small pouch out of her pocket and used it to gather her mother's ashes.

"Goodbye Mom," Kiora said, before turning back to the house.

A/N: -sniff- It's so saaaaaad! Don't worry, good stuff is coming in the next few chapters.


	11. Killing Time

A/N: Okay, eventually Kiora has to fight Fyrentennimar and Kohana. I don't know when that'll happen, but it should be soon now. Everybody keep your fingers crossed for an epic conflict! I'll try my best to keep this story from killing too many more characters.

**Help Needed**

Kohana changed her mind later that night. Initially, she had planned to find Kiora and kill the girl, but she decided against it. Today, she decided, was a day to relax. She and Fyrentennimar, in his human form, were spending their time in her chamber. She enjoyed being able to screw someone as long as possible without fear of getting pregnant.

She knew Sakura was no longer in the cave, and she intended to punish the woman when she returned. Her intent was to keep the woman in undeath and away from her beloved in the afterlife. She sighed, rolled over, and fell back into her lover.

-----

Natsuko watched as Kiora spread her mother's ashes on the ground in front of her. She pulled out a scroll, opened it, and began flipping through handsigns. She hit the end of the chain and sprinkled several ashes on the scroll. She repeated this several times, until the pile of ashes was depleted and the scroll was completely unfurled. Kiora hit the last sign and the scroll snapped shut, rolling up like a tape measure. She laid it flat in her palm, and it spun, an arrow on the side indicating a direction.

"What'd you do?" Natsuko asked.

"Tracking jutsu," Kiora responded, not really paying attention. "I have to go."

She stood and opened the window. "Wait," Natsuko said. "I'm coming with you."

Kiora started to argue, but Natsuko silenced her with a kiss. "That wasn't a request," she said. Kiora gave a small smile, and nodded. The pair took a leap out the window, landing not far from where Kiora had granted her mother's last wish. Kiora steeled her resolve at the memory, and, following the arrow, the pair headed into the woods.

They worked through the woods, avoided any real conflicts with anything. Kiora took the lead, working around any serious undergrowth, and moving as silently as death. Natsuko crashed through the woods, loud as a bull elephant in a china shop. Kiora finally took pity on Natsuko and they piggybacked until they reached a clearing.

"I need a break," Kiora said. She sat on a fallen log and pulled off her shoe. Dumping out the few rocks inside, she stretched and tried to relax. Natsuko plopped down next to her.

"Why are you resting?" Kiora taunted. "I was doing all the work!"

Natsuko scoffed. "I have been working very hard!" she protested. "I've been trying to get these sandwiches out of your bag without you noticing." She held up a pair of sandwiches. "Hungry?"

"Starved," Kiora answered. She grabbed one of the sandwiches, pulled off the clear plastic wrap, and downed it in two bites. Natsuko stared at her.

"I said I was starved," Kiora said defensively. Natsuko looked at her own sandwich. In the time it took Kiora to finish hers, Natsuko hadn't even pulled off the wrapper to her own. She noticed Kiora eyeing the food.

"Take it," she said, tossing her the sandwich. "I brought my own." She produced a brown paper bag. Kiora scarfed down the offered food, then pointedly looked away as Natsuko ate her own food. For some reason Kiora was still hungry. She chalked it up to the chakra she had spent.

A rustle in the bushes behind her set Kiora on guard again. She spun, launching several shuriken and kunai in the direction of the invader. Melody staggered out of the brush, a kunai buried deep in her thigh and several shuriken embedded in her arms.

"Oops," Kiora offered. She helped Melody into the clearing and began flipping through handsigns for a healing jutsu. Serenity strolled in, off in her own world.

"What happened here?" she asked, eyeing Melody's wounds. Kiora offered a sympathetic smile as she fired off the last seal to the jutsu. Melody's wounds began knitting themselves shut, pushing out the projectiles and looking much better.

"You two should know better than to walk into our camp with Kiora like she is," Natsuko teased. Melody rubbed her forearms, feeling her smooth skin, whole again.

"Thanks," she said. She rose from the log, dusting off her shorts, and pulling a long thin package from her backpack. "My dad told me to give this to you," she said. "He said it belonged to your mother."

Kiora unwrapped the gift, revealing a katana in a jet-black sheath. She drew the blade and watched it glimmer in the sunlight.

"The blade is edged with silver," Serenity said from the edge of the clearing. "And blessed by a shrine elder. It will tear through undead like butter."

Kiora let herself go, focusing her mind on the patriarch gene. She ran through several attack routines with the sword, a mesmerizing dance of death. She sheathed the weapon and turned to regard the twins.

"Tell your dad I said thanks," Kiora said. To Natsuko she added, "We should be going."

The Uchiha twins vanished from the clearing, and Kiora and Natsuko left shortly afterwards. They took to the trees now, leaping from branch to branch as a quieter method of travel. Kiora paused often to re-check her scroll and keep them on the proper heading.

The last time she did this, she popped her head out of the top of the tree to look around. She noticed they were very close to a mountain, where she assumed Kohana lived, but the sun was growing low in the sky.

"It's too late to go on," Kiora said to Natsuko when she came back down to the wide branch they were on. Natsuko gave her a curious look. "It's almost nighttime, where she'll have the advantage," Kiora explained. "We'll sleep in shifts, and go in at dawn."

Natsuko nodded in agreement and leaned against the trunk of the tree. Kiora heard her slight snores and knew she was only feigning sleep. She activated her Byakugan and sat on the branch to keep watch.

-----

Dawn broke on Natsuko's watch. She was incredibly grateful that nothing had happened during the night. She woke Kiora, and the pair made their way to the base of the mountain. Kiora let the scroll spin, coming to a stop pointing nearly vertical. Kiora lined her eye up with the scroll and located a cave halfway up the mountain. She relayed this knowledge to Natsuko and returned her gaze to the climb ahead.

Kiora pulled her newest weapon closer, and began to climb. She carefully picked handholds and footholds that Natsuko could find easily. Kiora glanced back periodically to ensure Natsuko was still keeping up. Almost halfway to the cave, she found a wide ledge, pulling herself up and offering her hand to her lover. Natsuko flopped down next to her, and the pair caught their breath.

-----

Kohana felt the disturbance as someone entered the protective area of her clairaudience spell. She could hear everything they were saying, and identified the speaker to be Kiora. She motioned to Fyrentennimar, and headed toward the exit of the cave. Fyren appeared behind her, returned to his dragon form, a hundred feet from head to tail. Kohana swept into the sunlight, swooping down the mountain.

Fyrentennimar dove behind her, overtaking her almost instantly. He let loose a jet of flame, sweeping across the mountain and leaving a line of destruction and glowing hot rocks in the wake. A quick beat of his wings drew him up short, hovering as Kohana floated down to inspect the damage.

He didn't even sense Kiora until her Chidori blasted trough the thick scales of his neck. She pressed the attack, pulling her arm back and flipping through more handsigns. Fyren twisted in midair, calling upon his innate magical energies. Kiora had reached for a kunai knife, but dropped it as the metal grew red hot. Kiora quickly glanced down to see that all of her metallic items had been affected. She pulled off her belt, avoiding the hot buckle. She tossed it towards the cliff, trusting Natsuko to catch it. Kiora flipped through more handsigns, re-activating the Chidori.

She leapt from the dragon's body, aiming right between the dragon's eyes. She got blindly hit from the side by Fyren's powerful tail, the blow blasting the wind from her lungs and knocking her off course. She fell, heading for the ground three hundred feet below. Fyren mentally called to Kohana, and watched the vampire teleport below the falling figure.

Kiora heard Kohana teleport next to her, and felt another blow land. She accelerated towards the ground, twisting to get her feet below her. She knew her ribs were broken, and felt another dull pain in her upper body. This fall would likely break her legs, so she began flipping through handsigns for a healing jutsu.

She hit the ground, curling her legs to absorb some of the impact, rolling to the side to lose momentum. She hit a tree nearby, and felt the sharp pain in her neck for the first time. Blackness weaved before her, and she felt death's hand on her shoulder.

A/N: Ooh, dramatic ending, huh? Read and review, and I'll try to get the next chapter up quickly.


	12. End Game

A/N: This will be the last chapter of Help Needed for a while. I've decided to pause for a little bit and continue my other fic. Oh, and anyone who hasn't noticed, I posted a link to the first Help Needed pic on my profile. Check it out!

**Help Needed**

Natsuko let out a scream as Kiora dropped from sight. Unfortunately, this returned Kohana's attention to her. She gave a quick yelp as the vampiress charged at her, fangs bared. Natsuko dropped, practically running down the vertical cliff face. Keeping chakra in the soles of her feet, she was able to maintain balance and speed. She glanced back over her shoulder, only to realize that Kohana and the dragon were gaining on her.

She quickly gauged the distance to the ground, still seventy feet below her. On faith alone, she leapt, plunging through the air like a stone. (Damn, that rhymes. I kick ass! lol.) She prepared herself for the jarring impact as the treetops raced up to greet her.

-----

Kiora fought against the black waves of unconsciousness that assailed her. Keeping her eyes shut and her teeth gritted, she assessed her injuries. She knew she had several broken ribs, and she assumed from the dull throb in her legs that they were both broken as well. Her left arm was pinned awkwardly behind her, and she couldn't move it at all. She tried to remember what Kakashi had told her about making handsigns with only one hand. She flipped through several signs with her right hand, then flipped through the other half of each sign in the same order. This activated her Byakugan, and she was able to get a good look at each of her broken bones. Four ribs were broken, as were her legs, her left arm, and her neck. The fact that she was still alive was a miracle. She flipped through several handsigns, healing her left arm. Freeing it, she was able to heal her other injuries.

She rose to her feet as Natsuko crashed through the trees above. With lightning fast reflexes, she caught her lover and set her down gently on her feet.

"Nice of you to drop in," Kiora said. Natsuko laughed at the cliché, and then pointedly reminded Kiora of the fight they were in.

Kiora shut her eyes and flipped through the twelve handsigns, one for each animal of the zodiac. Then she activated the secret thirteenth handsign, one representing the cat. Chakra flooded her system, forcing open the Eight Inner Gates. Kiora opened her eyes, seeing that her skin had turned red, and she was glowing slightly, charged with an inner energy.

With a downward flick of her toe, she leapt skyward, clearing a hundred feet per second. She intercepted the dragon, Fyrentennimar, and aimed right for his large yellow eyes. Three kunai embedded themselves in the beast's cornea before it could even blink. When it did blink, it only forced the projectiles in deeper. Kiora continued up over its head, running down its neck and back to leap even higher. Kohana was already retreating, pausing only long enough to ensure Kiora was following. Kiora flipped through more handsigns, launching a huge fireball at the vampiress.

Kohana had already counted on it. She teleported behind Kiora, now hovering at the peak of her jump. Kiora spun in midair, intercepting Kohana's lunging fangs with her fist. The impact broke off one of the vampiress' fangs, embedding it deep in Kiora's knuckle. She winced in brief pain and punched again, shattering Kohana's nose.

Kiora's hand was already on the mend, pushing out the fang and closing the wound. Kiora grabbed Kohana from behind, locking her hands around her midsection. Together they dove toward the ground, over a thousand foot drop. Kiora realized her mistake, though, as Kohana merely teleported out of her grasp. She spun, touched lightly against the rocky cliff beside her, and launched herself higher to get a view of her surroundings. Activating her Byakugan, she surveyed the scene. She discovered Kohana in a room in the large cavern complex. Kiora flipped through several handsigns and teleported into the room.

-----

Natsuko nervously approached the fallen dragon, which was still breathing but severely injured from the fall.

"Please don't kill me," she whispered as she approached.

_I won't hurt you, _said a voice in her head.

"Is that you?" Natsuko asked, tentatively stepping around the dragon's tail to see its face.

"Yes," it said, in a voice that was once full of power, but now was weak. "I am Fyrentennimar, the Great Red Wyrm." The dragon chuckled. "The Once-Great Red Wyrm," he corrected.

Natsuko still kept her distance. "What do you mean, 'Once-Great?'" she asked.

"The vampire, Kohana," Fyren said. "She forced her will upon me, that tiny little girl! I was only able to survive by going along with her plans. She could have destroyed me without a second thought."

"Why are you telling _me_ this?" Natsuko asked skeptically.

"You did ask," Fyren reminded her. "And, from what I can tell from briefly reading your thoughts, you and that Hyuga girl are lovers. Take that sword, the one you dropped over there when you fell, and get it to Kiora. It is the only weapon that can destroy Kohana."

Fyren rose to his feet shakily. Natsuko jumped back in alarm.

"I will get you to the cave," Fyren said. "The last thing I can do is destroy the foul creature who enslaved me all these years."

Natsuko nodded and ran off to retrieve the sword. She returned, and the dragon dipped a wing to the ground to let her climb up.

"Hold on to that gap between my scales," Fyren said. Natsuko obeyed, and the great beast took flight.

Natsuko screamed. She shut her eyes and pulled herself as close to the dragon as she could, but the sensation was still alarming.

She was still screaming when they arrived at the cave entrance. Fyren telepathically told her that they had arrived, and she composed herself.

"Get that sword to Kiora or it will spell the end for all of our lives," The dragon said. Fyren looked incredibly weak. The gaping hole Kiora had blasted in his neck was freely pouring out blood.

Natsuko nodded and headed for the next chamber.

-----

Kiora's enhanced state of power dropped as soon as she finished teleporting. Her skin returned to its normal pale tone, and her Byakugan de-activated.

Kohana was seated on the edge of the bed before her. The vampiress folded her arms over her chest, and gave a slight grin.

"I've enchanted this room," she said. "None of your jutsus will work, not even your damned Hyuga eyes."

"Who the hell _are_ you?" Kiora asked. She felt heavy, like her entire body was underwater.

"I am Kohana," she replied. "Enemy to every Hyuga that crosses my path. Although, in a way, I owe my very existence to a Hyuga of incredible power. Not unlike yourself."

Kiora glared at the vampire. "Tell me why you attacked my mother," she said, her tone dripping venom with every word.

"Because," Kohana said. "For the first time in seven centuries, I have begun to feel the blood-thirst that so assails those of my kind. I needed blood. Your mother merely stumbled across my path at a poor moment in time. I didn't even realize she was a Haruno."

Kiora raised an eyebrow. "What's so special about the Haruno clan to you?" she asked.

"Fool!" Kohana shouted. "I am the matriarch of the Haruno clan! The fight that infused me with the chakra of the demon-Hyuga also created the only child I have ever given birth to! Your mothers' family trees are intertwined, and I am the point of intersection! You are the first descendent of both the Hyuga and Haruno clans!"

She sat back down, puffing in a rage. Kiora considered what she had just heard. This was why she had more power than previous carriers of the patriarch gene. She also had Kohana's power, diluted through the centuries but still more than just the patriarch. She was also the result of incest! Although distantly, her mothers were related to each other.

Kiora shook her head to clear her thoughts, and focused her mind on the patriarch. To her relief, the area of her mind was still accessible.

_Hello Kiora, _said a voice. Kiora jumped slightly, then regained composure.

_Who are you? _she asked silently.

_I am the patriarch, Hiashi, _came the reply. _The Thirteen Handsign Jutsu opens a pathway into the spirit world between the patriarch and the current gene carrier._

_Kakashi just said it was a way to use the Eight Inner Gates Formation without dying afterwards, _Kiora said.

_Your chakra network was flooded with my chakra. It forced open the gates accidentally, though it is a pleasant side-effect._

Kiora agreed. _Can you see what's going on here?_

_Yes, _Hiashi said. _I can see everything through your eyes. Kohana is not that formidable of an opponent. Where is my sword?_

_Sword?_

_The one that was blessed by the shrine elder and passed down from Hyuga heir to heir, _Hiashi explained.

_Oh. That sword. I kinda lost it in the fight, _Kiora said. She was jerked out of the internal dialogue when Natsuko burst in through the make-shift door to the cavern.

"Catch!" Natsuko said, throwing the sword. Kiora felt her system receive chakra from the patriarch, and with the lightning fast reflexes she had honed from Kakasahi's training, caught the sword by the sheath. Spinning the weapon around, she gripped the handle, unsheathed the blade, and plunged it into Kohana's heart.

The vampiress let out an unearthly wail and sank her fangs into Kiora's jugular. Kiora fought against the pain and twisted the weapon, plunging it into Kohana's lungs. The vampire began to go limp, but Kiora was also feeling weaker as blood poured from her neck.

Kohana fell to the floor, and Kiora followed soon after. Natsuko ran to Kiora's side, placing a finger on her lover's neck to check for a pulse.

"Please don't die," she said. "You can't die."

She tried desperately to believe that there was still a pulse, but Kiora's wound no longer pumped blood. Natsuko sank to the floor in tears, and buried her face in her hands.

-----

Kiora was suddenly aware that she was naked. And that she was no longer bleeding. She scanned her surroundings, but she seemed to be floating in a blank white void. She flipped through a few handsigns, and to her dismay, found that no chakra came to her call.

She mentally called to the patriarch, but she also felt that that part of her mind was closed off to her.

Suddenly, a strong hand gripped her foot, pulling her downwards. She looked down to see Kohana, her face deeply scarred and pitted. Half of her body was in the only non-blank feature of this realm, a deep pit spewing heat. Black smoke billowed from the hole, and terrible screams echoed in Kiora's ears.

"Bitch!" Kohana shouted. "I'll take you to hell with me! I will make you suffer for an eternity in this dark abyss!"

Kiora kicked out, and found that Kohana no longer had her vampire's strength. She let loose a volley of kicks, snapping Kohana's neck back and finally freeing her ankle. Kohana unleashed a last scream, and vanished into the dark cloud of smoke. The pit seemed to contract, pulling in all remnants of its existence, folding in on itself until it vanished.

Kiora spun to view her surroundings again. Hinata and Sakura, also nude, but tastefully so, approached her.

"Where am I?" Kiora asked. Hinata hugged her daughter.

"You're in limbo," Sakura said. "A realm between the spirit world and the material world. I guess at this point you could go either way, back to Natsuko, or stay with us."

"Why do I have to choose?" Kiora asked angrily. "Why do I have to be the one who breaks the heart of the people I care about most?!"

"There might be a way," Hinata said softly. Sakura turned and looked at her questioningly.

"If we had bodies on the material world that were uninhabited by souls, we could return to them," Hinata explained. "In our current state, we would remain on the material plane for about ten minutes."

"Your body is still buried," Kiora said. "I could dig it up in less than ten minutes, and heal the decomposition."

"But my body was destroyed," Sakura said. "I was cremated by your fireball, remember?"

"I can fix it," Kiora said. "You know I can. I have the combined powers of Kohana and the patriarch. I surpass even the Hokage in terms of healing abilities."

Kiora felt a cold wind from behind. She turned to see that there was an opening in the white void, through which she could see her body, with Natsuko kneeling over it.

The family moved towards the opening, and Kiora passed over. There was a blinding flash of white light, and the next thing she knew, she was looking up at Natsuko. She could feel her heart beat, but knew she had to heal herself quickly before she ended up dead again. She flipped through handsigns so quickly that Natsuko didn't even see her do it.

Kiora placed her hand over the wound in her neck and felt a similar pulse of energy to the one she had when she saved Sakura the first time.

She pulled her hand back and hugged Natsuko tightly.

"We have to get to the graveyard," Kiora said. "I'm gonna save my parents."

-----

Kiora teleported herself and Natsuko to the cemetery, right on top of Hinata's grave. She could still see her mothers' spirits, though she knew Natsuko could not. She flipped through a long chain of handsigns, then placed her hands on the ground in front of her. A section of earth vanished, and Kiora repeated the technique.

After several agonizing minutes, she finally managed to pull open her mother's coffin. Hinata's face seemed serene, and Kiora was thankful that no bugs had gotten to the body. Several healing jutsus later, and Hinata sat up.

"Where are Sakura's ashes?" she asked instantly. Kiora pulled out the tracking scroll.

"In here," she said. "I need you to flip this scroll open when I give the signal. You need to keep all her ashes airborne for at least thirty seconds."

Hinata nodded and readied herself. Kiora flexed her fingers, and got ready to perform the technique. By her estimation, there were only forty-five seconds left until Sakura's spirit was lost.

"Now!" She shouted. Hinata snapped the scroll open upwards, sending ashes flying. Kiora instantly began flipping through handsigns. She counted twenty, thirty, and kept going past fifty. She hit the ninety-ninth symbol, and fired off the last one just as the first ash hit the ground. All the other ashes formed around that one, pulling together to form a ball of ash.

Kiora flopped to the ground. "Too… much… chakra…" she said. "I could really use a nap."

Hinata moved to the ball of ash and touched it lightly. The entire sphere cracked in two, and split open to reveal Sakura, looking no worse than if she had just woken up.

Sakura leapt up and hugged Hinata tightly. "I knew she'd do it! I knew it!"

Kiora grinned and lay back on the ground. She closed her eyes and sent a mental message to the patriarch.

_Still there? _Kiora asked.

_I'll always be here now, _Hiashi replied. _I have nothing better to do in the afterlife, so I might as well advise you._

Kiora laughed aloud, catching her mothers' attention. It was good to have a family again.

A/N: W00T!! STORY ARC COMPLETE!! I'll see you guys real soon, we have a surprise planned for Help Needed in the future. What challenges will Kiora and her friends face now? They can't be any worse than this, right? Right?


	13. New World

A/N: Yeah, I said I was done with HN for a while, but I just can't leave Kiora alone. I needed to continue the plot to make her even more badass than before. That, and this will tie in to the newest plot.

**Help Needed**

"Happy birthday!"

Kiora grinned as she blew out the candles on her multi-layered cake. She immediately ran her finger through the frosting, then licked it clean. "Awesome, mom," she said.

Hinata graciously accepted the compliment, and cut the cake into acceptable-size slices. Kiora immediately grabbed a corner, seized a second piece for Natsuko, and headed off to join her lover at the next table. Natsuko was deep in conversation with Melody, who was doing her best to keep her sister under control. Sasuke was nearby, and he still was too dense to realize his daughters were fucking each other.

"Hey," Kiora said as she plopped down next to Natsuko. "What's going on?"

"Have you seen the new girl?" Melody asked. Kiora shook her head. "She hangs out in the alleyway two blocks over. I think she's a prostitute."

Kiora raised an eyebrow and turned to Natsuko. "I have to agree with Melody on this one," she said. "You should see this girl. She's dressed like a complete whore."

Kiora called to her parents, shouting over the crowd that she was going outside. She saw Sakura nod her way, and left.

Outside the Ichiraku noodle bar, which had been rented for Kiora's birthday, it was much quieter. Melody led the way, with Serenity hanging on to her sister like a strange ornament. The group reached the alleyway in question, and Kiora peered down it.

_Oh my god, _she thought. She noticed the girl was rather short, only coming to about breast level on Kiora. She wore a pair of cutoff shorts that would have made Daisy Duke embarrassed, and there was a slight glimpse of a pink thong peeking out over the top of them. Her shirt was tight, which didn't help the fact that the girl had almost no chest at all. On a whim, she strolled down the alley and approached the girl.

_Oh my god, _she thought again. _She can't be more than like, nine years old! She's really cute…_

No, she told herself. You're not a pedophile. You're not Naruto!

_It's not pedophilia to think a nine-year old is cute!_

Oh really? Then what is it?

_It's called showing her the ropes._

Riiight. Just admit it to yourself. You're a pedophile. Besides, she's probably not even a lesbian.

_You know what? I'll ask her. _Kiora broke of from her internal argument and walked right up to the little girl.

"Hello! I'm Kiora! What's your name?" she said, bending forward to get her face down to the girl's level. This also gave the poor kid a spectacular view of her cleavage.

"Um," the girl said. "I'm Sasha. And I'm not supposed to talk to you unless it's about price."

Kiora frowned and stood back up. "Alright, how much would it cost to get you to tell me what's going on?"

"Are you like, police or something?" Sasha asked.

"No, I'm just curious why a cute little girl is dressed like a complete slut."

"It's my dad," Sasha admitted. "We move from town to town, and everywhere it's the same. He forces me to do this stuff, then when people get suspicious, we move to a new town. This place is weird though. I haven't had anybody come see me all day."

"Too bad I killed Naruto," Kiora said. "He'd have paid anything to get with you."

Kiora thought for a second. "Aren't you tired of having to whore yourself out?" she asked. Sasha nodded. "Then come on. We're gonna talk to your dad."

-----

Kiora knocked on the bare wooden door to Sasha's apartment. The door opened to reveal an overweight, balding man with a prominent moustache.

"Who the hell're you?" He asked. Kiora shrugged away the rudeness and stepped aside, revealing Sasha.

"Is this your daughter?" Kiora asked. She suppressed an urge to strangle the man.

"What's it to you?" He replied. To Sasha he said, "Get in the house!"

Sasha complied, standing several feet behind her father and looking at Kiora pleadingly. Kiora turned to the father. "I'm here to prevent Sasha from having to be put through this misery anymore," she said professionally. The man began to slam the door shut, but Kiora held it fast with a powerful arm. With a light shove, she sent the door flying wide. She flipped through a triplet of handsigns, and the lightning of the Chidori filled her palm.

The man finally started to look worried. "What exactly do you want me to do?" he asked. "I can't stop her from doing what she wants in her free time."

"Big mistake, trying to pin this on her," Kiora said. "I'll give you one last try, or I slice through your ribs and tear your heart out."

"I'm telling you," the man said. "She's a whore 'cause she wants to. I ain't gonna do nuthin' about it."

Kiora drove her chakra-infused palm into the man's chest. She dispelled the Chidori before it impacted, but she still heard the crack of several ribs as the man staggered back.

"The next one has lightning in it," she promised, her words dripping venom with every syllable.

"W-whadya want me to do?" the man stammered.

"Leave Konohagakure and never return," Kiora said. "But leave your daughter with me. You are undeserving of a gift as wonderful as a child."

The man quickly headed through into another room. He returned a minute later with a suitcase. He headed towards the door. On the step he turned and said, "I won't just stand here and take this! I want my daughter back!" His trembling voice betrayed his false courage, and when Kiora re-activated the Chidori, he scampered away, pulling the door shut behind him.

Sasha sunk to the floor. "He's actually gone," she said. "All my life, no one ever helped me, but now he's gone." She looked up at Kiora, and a grin spread across her face. She launched herself up into Kiora's arms. "Thank you," she said, resting her head on one of Kiora's large breasts. Kiora put her down quickly.

"We should get back to my party," she said. "Why don't you change into some different clothes?"

Sasha nodded and headed for a door next to her father's room. Kiora followed, and snapped the door shut behind them. Sasha immediately stripped down to her underwear and began ruffling through her drawers. Kiora noticed that the thong she wore read "FOXY" across the front in fake gems. Sasha finally pulled out a pair of jeans and a tee shirt, and donned them quickly. The shirt left her belly button exposed, so she pulled on a hoodie over top of it.

Kiora pulled open the door and the pair headed out of the apartment and down the stairs to rejoin Natsuko and the twins. Kiora entwined her fingers with her girlfriend's and they started walking back.

"Her dad looked like a loser," Melody commented. Serenity still hung on her neck. "We saw him run off towards the public baths."

Kiora nodded. "He certainly acted a lot tougher than he really was."

"He was an idiot, too," piped in Sasha. She wrapped her arms around Kiora's free arm. "Thanks again."

Kiora smiled at the young girl. Again that slight voice in the back of her head told her this was wrong.

_Shut up Hiashi, _she thought.

-----

The five friends stood in front of the Ichiraku noodle bar, listening carefully to the conversation taking place just inside the front door.

"The point is, your daughter is lucky just to be alive," Sasuke said. "The amount of chakra produced in her fight should have torn her body apart. Instead she was able to harness and channel it into the Eight Inner Gates."

"Maybe she's just more skilled than any other patriarch carrier than ever before," Hinata said hotly. Kiora smiled. It took a lot to get Hinata Hyuga riled up.

"Exactly," Sasuke said. "It's not a matter of whether she's skilled or not. It's a matter of how she obtained the skill. Whether she achieved some sort of symbiosis with the patriarch that others haven't had, or it was another external force, we still don't know how she beat one of the most powerful beings on Earth for several hundred years."

Kiora flinched. She had never told her parents about Kohana's relation to the Haruno clan, or that she was bitten by the vampiress before she died. Kiora had suddenly begun feeling weak in sunlight soon after that, though she had never sprouted fangs or realized any other vampire weaknesses.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sasha flipping through handsigns. She looked to the girl curiously.

"Trust me," Sasha said. "This will be fun." Sasha led the way inside.

As soon as the door swung shut behind them, every person in the restaurant hit the floor. A collective orgasmic moan rose from the room. Male occupants threw their heads back and let out primal growls, while the female occupants gasped for breath and clutched at their chests. Kiora looked to Sasha.

"Instant Orgasm Jutsu," the girl explained. "Makes for a good entrance."

Kiora nodded and laughed. People were recovering from their orgasms, Sakura and Hinata included.

"Hi moms squared," Kiora said, strolling up. "What happened here?"

Sakura glared at her daughter. "Oh, like you had nothing to do with the fact that everybody just hit the floor in orgasmic pleasure?" she asked angrily.

Kiora rocked back a step. Sakura grinned.

"I'm kidding!" Sakura said. "That was pretty good. Where'd you learn how to do that?"

"I didn't," Kiora said. She indicated Sasha. "She did."

Hinata joined the group. "That was fantastic," she said. "But I need a change of panties. I'll be right back."

Kiora raised an eyebrow. "You don't wanna know," Sakura said.

Kiora would have agreed, but being nosy was a strong suit of hers. "What the deal?" she asked.

"Your mother's a squirter," Sakura said. "Told you you didn't want to know."

Now Kiora agreed. Sasha, meanwhile, was rolling on the floor in laughter. Kiora gave her a well placed kick to her butt that ended the giggles.

"I need to talk to you," she said to Sakura. "Alone."

The two walked to a corner of the restaurant. Kiora immediately explained about the connection between the patriarch gene, Kohana, and the Haruno clan. Then, she pulled her hoodie off of her neck to reveal the two small scars where Kohana had bitten her.

"I heard Sasuke and Hinata talking," she said, replacing her clothes. "That's how I was able to control the patriarch's chakra. I also have Kohana's power."

"And now you're also a vampire," Sakura reasoned. Kiora shrugged.

"I'm not really sure," she said. "I feel odd in the sun, but other than that I have no real symptoms."

Sakura's face showed a troubled expression. Hinata returned to the group, straightening her pants.

"Good," Kiora said. "Now that you both are here and paying attention, I have an announcement. I'm moving out."

"What?" Hinata asked. "Why? Where to?"

"The girl I was with, Sasha," Kiora began. "She was being forced into prostitution by her dad. I ran him out of town, but now she doesn't have an authority figure. Her apartment is still vacant, so I'm gonna move in there and take care of her. Like a little sister, without being related."

"I don't actually see a problem with it," Sakura said. Hinata glared at her. "The truth is, Kiora, we have an announcement too. I'm pregnant."

Kiora's jaw dropped. "You mean, like, for real? How? Unless Hinata's got a… never mind."

"I'll teach you how one day," Sakura said. "I missed out on being a mother, mostly because Hinata was the one to carry you. This time, I get to be the real mother."

"What are you going to call her?" Kiora asked. She understood that any child coming from two women would also be a woman, as there were no Y chromosomes to create a male. Oh, the inhumanities of health class.

"We haven't decided on a name," Sakura admitted, stroking her belly. "We would be honored if her big sister named her."

"Why not Miyoko?" Kiora suggested. "It means 'beautiful child.'"

Both parents smiled down on their daughter. "It's perfect," Hinata said.

Kiora turned to leave. "I'm taking some of the cake home with me," she called back. "I need to load the apartment up with junk food."

Hinata leaned in to Sakura's ear. "Let's just hope Miyoko isn't as stubborn as her big sister," she said.

-----

Kiora had made repeated teleport trips between her room and Sasha's apartment, but after only an hour, she had moved all of her possessions to her new home.

Natsuko let herself into the apartment, bearing the news that Ino had allowed her to stay with Kiora.

Kiora threw her arms around her lover and said, "Let's spend tonight getting to know the house."

Natsuko raised an eyebrow. "What about Sasha?" she asked.

"She can join in too," Kiora said. "Seriously, she's already been exposed to this stuff."

Natsuko paused for an instant, then nodded in agreement.

Kiora ran off to Sasha's room, and quickly found the young girl.

"We're gonna have sex in every room of the house," Kiora said. "Wanna join in?"

"No you fool," Sasha said, in a dark, sinister voice. "I can't believe you fell for my entire story. Even your Byakugan would have shown you the truth."

Sasha immediately began to change form. Her figure sprouted to be just taller than Kiora, while her skin and internal organs dissolved away. Jet black bones took the place of the flesh, and its skull was filled with pointed teeth. Two bat-like wings sprouted from her back, and her clothes hung in tatters on her body as the transformation finished.

"Look at what three months in hell has done to me," the demon said. Kiora stood transfixed.

"You look like something out of the album artwork for my Avenged Sevenfold CD," she commented.

"Don't you recognize me?" the demon-skeleton asked. "Perhaps this form is more familiar to you."

Skin spread across the skeleton's structure, until a short blonde girl stood before Kiora.

"Kohana!" Kiora said. She began flipping through handsigns, first activating her Byakugan, then following it up with the Chidori.

Kohana struck first, popping back to her skeletal form and taking flight. She tackled Kiora and carried her to the open window. With a crash of shattering glass, they flew out into the night. Kiora plunged her lightning infused palm through Kohana's wing and they plummeted from the sky.

Kiora managed to break free of Kohana's hold as they hit the ground, and she rolled quickly to gain some distance. She tested the telepathic link to Hiashi and waited for a response.

_Yes? _he answered.

_Oh, thank god,_ Kiora said. _Kohana's back!_

_Really? This could be a problem, _he said.

_NO SHIT!!_

Kiora was jerked from the internal dialogue as Kohana stood. The wound in her wing mended before Kiora's eyes. Kiora quickly re-powered the Chidori, then, relying on her instinctual fighter, she flipped through handsigns with her free hand. Chakra swirled and pooled in her palm, and with a blinding flash of light, the Rasengan manifested.

"Holy shit," she muttered. "I thought only Naruto could do that. Then again, I thought only Sasuke could use the Chidori, so why not!?"

Kiora clapped her hands together, driving the two energies into each other.

The resulting explosion tore half of Konohagakure off of its foundation.

Kohana screamed as her bones shattered, then melted. Her spirit, lacking a body to possess, fled back to the spirit realm.

Kiora realized that she had overstepped her prowess. Chakra drained from her body, the fuel for the giant fireball that she had created. She tried to summon the energy to teleport away, but it was all she could do just to remain standing. The raging inferno consumed the apartment building. Kiora only hoped that Natsuko managed to get out alive.

_Kiora! _Hiashi was shouting in her head. _Use the Thirteen Handsign Jutsu! It will give you more chakra!_

Kiora lifted her arms, though they felt like dead weights. She flipped through the first few signs without any problems, but when she hit the fourth, she could barely concentrate on how to move her fingers.

_I'm going to die here, _she thought. She felt Hiashi's presence in her mind strengthen, and suddenly her arms began to move at their usual breakneck pace. She fired off the thirteenth sign and felt the chakra flood her system. The Eight Inner Gates opened, and she flipped through the signs to teleport.

She popped into the apartment, and quickly searched with her Byakugan. She saw Natsuko, huddled in the corner of the bedroom. Kiora teleported again, scooped up her lover, and teleported out.

"Kiora!" Natsuko said, realizing whose arms she was in. "What happened?"

"Kohana came back," Kiora said. "Sasha was just a façade to get close to us."

Natsuko noted the disgust in Kiora's voice. "You really don't like not being able to trust people, huh?" she asked.

"My entire life," Kiora began, "I could count on my moms. They were always honest with me, and always there to protect me. I haven't really ever been lied to until I found out about you and Naruto. After that, my nice little honest world just crumbled to pieces."

Natsuko couldn't really find any words to make Kiora feel better, so she waited in silence until she started speaking again.

"I don't know what happened to Kohana," Kiora said. "I don't think she managed to escape my inferno, but I also don't think I managed to completely kill her."

"So what are you going to do now?" said a voice. Kiora looked up to find herself surrounded by Sasuke, Kakashi, Lee, Sakura, Hinata, Tsunade, Ino, Neji, Shikamaru, and Melody and Serenity.

"Ummm, hi?" Kiora said uneasily. She glanced down and noticed that most of her clothes had been burned away, though her skin had already healed. She tactfully covered herself.

"How did you manage to create an eternally-burning fireball by yourself?" Tsunade asked.

"If you combine the Chidori and the Rasengan, the result is the fireball," Kiora said.

"Wait," Kakashi said. "You conjured both the Chidori and the Rasengan at the same time?" Kiora nodded. "That takes almost three times as much chakra as the Fourth Hokage used to seal the nine-tailed fox."

Kiora shrugged. "I just relied on my instincts," she said. "Kohana, that vampire chick, came back as some kind of skeleton demon. I think I killed her again, but I can't be sure."

Sasuke stepped forward. "How did you escape? The fireball consumes all of the chakra of its summoners. It would take a hundred shinobi to conjure it without dying."

"What's so special about this damn fireball?" Kiora asked angrily. She hastily covered herself up again.

"It's a perpetually burning inferno," Sakura said. "It will only go out when the person who summoned it dies."

"Usually it's not a big deal," Hinata added. "The person who conjures it usually dies in the act, and then it's dispersed immediately."

"Exactly," Shikamaru said. "It's the worst suicide move in any ninja's arsenal."

Kiora gave a resigned sigh. "So how do I stop it?"

"You have to die," Sasuke said. Kakashi and Tsunade nodded. Sakura and Hainata, meanwhile, looked alarmed.

"Our daughter has already died once," Hinata said. "We won't let it happen again!"

Kiora agreed. "I'll go back to the site," she said. "I might find a way to stop the fireball from inside it."

"That'll kill you!" Lee exclaimed. Kiora glared at him.

"I heal just as fast as the flames burn, so I'll be fine," she argued. "I will need a change of clothes when I'm done."

"We'll go with you," Melody said. Natsuko and Serenity nodded.

"Ok, then, let's go," Kiora said. Before anyone could argue, she grabbed her friends and teleported.

They reappeared a hundred yards from the fireball, which had cleared out the surrounding area to nothing but ash.

"Ok, now what?" Melody said.

"I'm gonna spread my healing abilities to cover you three as well," Kiora said. "Then we're going in. My guess is that there's something at the center of this thing that can stop it, a source to the power."

Kiora stepped towards the raging inferno, and the temperature climbed with each step.

"Can't you do anything about the heat?" Natsuko asked. She tugged at the collar of her shirt, sweat pouring off her forehead.

Kiora shook her head. Flipping through handsigns, she activated healing jutsus, and with another few signs, made them continuous.

"C'mon guys," she said, and led the way into the flames.

The flames licked at her skin, and the heat was unbearable, but she did not get injured. A quick glance at the other girls revealed that they too were unhurt, though their clothes had burned away.

"We have to be careful," Kiora shouted over the roar of the flames. "If we stay in for too long, our blood will boil and we'll die from a decrease in blood pressure."

"Okay!" Natsuko shouted in return. Kiora used her Byakugan to find the center of the fireball. There was definitely something there, though it was obscured by the brightness of the flames.

The walk towards the center was uneventful, though the temperature must have been over a thousand degrees Celsius. Kiora made repeated checks on her blood with her Byakugan, to make sure it hadn't boiled.

"Can anybody see anything?" Serenity shouted. Kiora shook her head, and checked the center. They were right below it.

"So you returned," said a voice.

"Kohana," Kiora said, with as much hatred as she could summon for the demon. She immediately activated her Byakugan and searched, though she found no sign of the demon's body.

"Correct. Though I have been stripped of a body, I still have access to my vast repertoire of abilities. Your usefulness in this world has ended."

Kiora braced herself for an attack as Kohana chanted. Nothing came. Kiora glanced around at her companions, and they were unscathed as well.

"That's it?" She asked mockingly. Kohana finished her chant.

Kiora was plunged into darkness. From the screams nearby, she assumed the others had been as well. Kiora was suddenly aware that she was falling. Looking down, she noticed a tiny speck of pure white light.

As they fell, the speck grew, until it surrounded them in white light. In a blinding flash, Kiora realized she was lying on the ground.

She sat up and looked around. Natsuko, Melody, and Serenity were still with her, though everyone was clothed and had all of their ninja gear with them. Kiora looked down and discovered Hiashi's sword lying next to her. She quickly sent a telepathic message to the patriarch, but she felt that his mind was no longer with her.

She inspected her surroundings. This was Konohagakure, exactly as it had been before Kiora had conjured the fireball.

"Where'd the fireball go?" she asked out loud.

"What fireball?" asked a familiar voice. Kiora turned to see a girl her age, with the same exact shade of pink hair, equally large breasts, and eyes the same shade of blue-green as Sakura.

_To Be Continued In Help Needed for Like Mother, Like Daughter._

A/N: Ok, cat's outta the bag. Me and kyouger are working together on a new fic. We'll do our best to keep the stories making sense, and we'll see you in the first chapter!


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